ABSTRACT
This paper investigates the behaviour of Hollow Square Section (HSS) beam-columns strengthened using Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) plates. Finite element model was developed and verified using experimental results. A parametric study was carried out to examine the effect of column slenderness ratio, HSS size, load eccentricity value and the CFRP reinforcement ratios on the strength gain of HSS beam-columns strengthened using CFRP plates. Cohesive zone feature was adopted to simulate the debonding of the CFRP plates from the steel tubes. The study showed significant increases in beam-column capacity up to 60% depending on the member slenderness ratio and load eccentricity values. It was also found that application of this strengthening system is very effective for slender specimens with small eccentricity while opposite is true for short specimens.
