Fiber-reinforced polymers bars for compression reinforcement : a promising alternative to steel bars

Fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) have been introduced as alternative reinforcement for concrete members since decades. Nevertheless, current design codes prohibit the use of FRP bars as main reinforcement in compression members such as columns. Recently, several studies came into sight focusing on evaluating the compressive response of FRP-reinforced concrete (RC) columns. While many of these studies have praised the performance of FRP bars in RC columns, others conservatively neglected their contribution to the columns’ capacities. The objective of this study is to present a comprehensive literature review on FRP-reinforced columns in order to better understand their performance under various loading conditions. To do so, the authors collected and analyzed the results of more than 300 tests published in 43 different experimental and analytical studies in the scientific literature. The collected columns were classified according to their slenderness, loading regime, cross sections, concrete type, and reinforcement. The design equations proposed by several authors to predict the load-carrying capacities of the tested columns were collected and assessed. The work presents a critical review of the existing research on FRP-reinforced columns, identifies gaps in knowledge, and outlines directions for future research. The analysis of the collected data and the accuracy of several design approaches in predicting the behavior of FRP-reinforced columns suggests that it is time for code authorities to recognize the use of FRP in compression members