Compound concrete-filled FRP tubular columns under cyclic axial compression

Abstract The direct use of large pieces of crushed demolition concrete (referred to as recycled concrete lumps or RCLs) for mixing with fresh concrete to create a new kind of recycled concrete (referred to as compound concrete), has obvious advantages in terms of recycling efficiency, cost-effectiveness and maximum recycling ratio compared with the recycling of concrete as aggregates. Existing research has revealed certain performance concerns with such compound concrete, including reductions in strength and durability, due to the presence of RCLs. The confinement of compound concrete with an external fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) confining tube has recently been explored as an effective technique to improve its mechanical properties and durability. This paper presents the results of the first ever experimental study on compound concrete filled FRP tubular (CCFFT) columns aimed at the understanding and modelling of the cyclic stress–strain behavior of FRP-confined compound concrete. The effects of RCL mix ratio, FRP tube thickness, and loading scheme are examined. A monotonic stress–strain model and two cyclic stress–strain models previously developed for FRP-confined normal concrete are used to predict the test results. It is shown that the inclusion of RCLs has a marginal effect on the cyclic stress–strain behavior of FRP-confined concrete.