Behavior of composite confined concrete under cyclic loading

Concrete confined with carbon or glass fiber is strong and ductile. However, the final failure of composite confined concrete under uniaxial loading is sudden and can be very explosive. Under cyclic loading, failure can occur at stresses lower than the monotonic strength of the confined concrete. Since failure occurs without warning, it is important to be able to predict the number of cycles which will cause failure at a given load level. This paper presents the results of a pilot experimental effort to determine and model the behavior of composite confined concrete under cyclic loading.