Eccentricity-based design-oriented model of fiber-reinforced polymer-confined concrete for evaluation of load-carrying capacity of reinforced concrete rectangular columns

This study aimed to evaluate the load-carrying capacity of reinforced concrete rectangular columns confined with fiber-reinforced polymer composites and subjected to small eccentric loading. Seven design-oriented models of fiber-reinforced polymer-confined concrete were implemented in OpenSees software to establish the theoretical axial force-moment interaction diagram for rectangular columns. The examined models were categorized into two types: stress-strain models developed for fiber-reinforced polymer-confined non-circular concrete tested under the effect of concentric loading and others designed for fiber-reinforced polymer-confined non-circular concrete subjected to eccentric loading. The accuracy of these models was examined against the experimental results of eccentrically loaded fiber-reinforced polymer-confined reinforced concrete rectangular columns. Results indicated that the local stress-strain law obtained from the concentric compression tests would not reflect very well the local behavior of the compression zone of fiber-reinforced polymer-reinforced concrete members subjected to the combined effect of flexural and axial loadings. Adoption of a rational approach reflecting the impacts of eccentric loadings on the stress-strain relationship of the fiber-reinforced polymer-confined concrete revealed a much better evaluation of the load-carrying capacity of both reinforced concrete rectangular columns and plain concrete square columns under the effect of axial loads with various eccentricities.