%0 Journal Article
%T Cyclic Behaviour of a Hybrid Anchoring Device Enhancing the Flexural Capacity and Ductility of an R/C Bridge-Type Pier Strengthened with CFRP Sheets
%J Journal of Civil Engineering Research
%@ 2163-2340
%D 2013
%I 
%R 10.5923/j.jce.20130301.06
%X Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have been extensively investigated during the last years as an alternative means of strengthening reinforced concrete structural elements. One of the difficulties of applying such strengthening schemes in practice is the effective anchorage of such FRP components (layers, etc.). The present investigation examines the development of a Hybrid Anchoring Device (HAD) and its application to a specimen representing a scale model of a joint of a bridge-type reinforced concrete pier with its foundation. The objective here is to enhance the flexural capacity and the ductile behaviour of such a specimen by externally applying carbon fiber-reinforced polymer sheets together with the HAD in order to transfer the forces from CFRP sheets to the foundation. This pier specimen is subjected at the top to a pseudo-dynamic horizontal displacement cyclic loading sequence together with the simultaneous application of a constant vertical load. The behaviour observed experimentally is presented and discussed. Furthermore, this paper includes the most important findings of a supplementary numerical investigation, using the FEA software ABAQUS, aimed to study the behaviour of the HAD prior to its manufacture. Finally, the numerical investigation is extended to simulate the behaviour of the test pier specimen with the HAD attached to its foundation. Both the numerical and the experimental behaviour demonstrate that the applied HAD resulted in a 100% increase in the flexural capacity of the pier specimen and a 50% increase in its overall energy absorption capability. The anchoring device has been patented with No WO2011073696.
%K Hybrid Anchoring Device
%K Cyclic Behaviour
%K Reinforced Concrete
%K Bridge Pier
%K Numerical Simulations
%K Ductile Behaviour
%K Flexural strengthening
%K Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers
%U http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.jce.20130301.06.html