The effectiveness of hybrid combination of ne
ar surface mounted (NSM) and externally
confined (EC) FRP strengthenin
g on the performance of RC
column elements under uniaxial
eccentric compression is investigated.
In total, ten short RC column elements were cast.
Carbon FRP is used for strengthening due to
its inherent stiffness
and strength properties on
par with other FRP materials. The
columns were strengthened using NSM CFRP laminates,
EC using CFRP fabrics and their hybrid combi
nations. A non-linear finite element model is
developed using ABAQUS and the numerical
model is calibrated using the experimental
results to improve the accuracy of the predict
ions. Experimental results revealed that hybrid
strengthening of RC columns was able to show a
better performance in terms of stiffness,
strength, ultimate displacement ductility
when compared to
other FRP strengthening
techniques. The numerical predictions obtained were
able to better capture the initial
stiffness, peak load and post-peak behavior. Thus, the proposed hybrid strengthening
technique for RC columns possess the capability of
restoring the loss in stiffness, strength
and ductility due to additional bending
moment induced by the eccentric compression
loading
