ABSTRACT
An innovative composite column, named as Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) reinforcing Concrete Filled Steel Tube (CFST), has been proposed and received recent significant attention in China. In this new column, a traditional CFST column is fully or partially enclosed by FRP sheet (Xiao Y 2005, Gu W 2005) and many virtues are expected consequentially. For instance, load bearing capacity and ductility of the stub column is improved effectively owing to the strengthening of FRP (Gu W 2005). Stability and strength for the column can also be substantially enhanced. In addition, this new composite technique could also be employed as designing a new column system. FRP provides an additional confinement for core concrete, resulting in reduction of steel tube thickness. Through reasonably designing the configuration of FRP, steel and concrete, the composite column could better combine the advantages of different materials to achieve a multi-properties, high-performance and economical structures. Other benefit for this composite technique is that FRP jacketing provides a good means of corrosion protecting for steel tube, since epoxy exhibits a superior chemical durability in salty and acid circumstance (Mays G. C. 2005). It is possible that the use of FRP reinforcing CFST can be exploited in the constructions in corrosion-prone region.
