Behavior of reinforced concrete columns strengthened by steel jacket

RC columns often need strengthening to increase their capacity to sustain the applied load. This research investigates the behavior of RC columns strengthened using steel jacket technique. Three variables were considered; shape of main strengthening system (using angles, C-sections and plates), size and number of batten plates. Behavior and failure load of the strengthened columns were experimentally investigated on seven specimens divided into two un-strengthened specimen and five strengthened ones. A finite element model was developed to study the behavior of these columns. The model was verified and tuned using the experimental results. The research demonstrated that the different strengthening schemes have a major impact on the column capacity. The size of the batten plates had significant effect on the failure load for specimens strengthened with angles, whereas the number of batten plates was more effective for specimens strengthened with C-channels. Then, by using finite element (F.E) package ANSYS 12.0 [1] their behavior was investigated, analyzed and verified. Test result showed a good match between both experimental tests and F.E models.