ABSTRACT
All structural systems in practice are made of two- or three-dimensional frames or trusses or arches, and perhaps even some combination of the above. Those systems are assembled by joining structural components in different forms and are subjected to axial, bending, shear, and/or torsional loads. Typically, structural components in a system are under combined loads, such as axial plus bending loads, or axial plus bending loads coupled with torsional loads, or other load combinations including shear. The behavior of a component under combined loading is different from its behavior under one loading condition only, such as axial load or bending load. This chapter deals with interactive structural responses under different loads acting simultaneously on FRP composite components. The FRP component responses are unique under combined load conditions. However, FRP components are designed for single dominant load condition (say, as axial or bending only), if the magnitude of one of the loads is relatively small, i.e., approximately less than 15% of the total effect from all the external loads combined.
