Experimental study and numerical analysis on the axial compression performance of CFRP strip reinforced round-end aluminum alloy tube concrete column

Abstract

Round-end aluminum alloy tube concrete columns had good durability and were very economical, but the low strength and elastic modulus of aluminum alloy led to the need for improvement in performance. This paper proposes carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) strip reinforced round-end aluminum alloy tube concrete (CREAC) columns and investigates their mechanical properties under axial compression loads. A total of eight specimens were tested, including seven CFRP reinforced specimens and one control specimen. The effects of the width, spacing, and number of layers of CFRP strips on the axial compression performance of CREAC under the same amount of CFRP were studied. The experimental results indicate that the main failure modes of the specimen are the buckling of round-end aluminum alloy tubes and the fracture of CFRP strips. The CFRP strip can significantly improve the ultimate bearing capacity of the specimen, with a maximum increase of 15.3% in the test range. When the amount of CFRP is the same, as the number of CFRP strips decreases, the bearing capacity and ductility deteriorate. Increasing the width and thickness of CFRP strips significantly improves ductility. On the basis of the validated finite element model, parameter analysis was conducted, and the calculation method for stability coefficients was fitted. A calculation method for axial compression bearing capacity suitable for CREAC was proposed, with a maximum error of less than 1% between the predicted results and experimental results.