Eccentric compression behavior of TRC-strengthened concrete columns under chloride environment

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mechanical behavior of textile-reinforced concrete (TRC)-strengthened concrete columns with small eccentricity under chloride-wet-dry cycles. Design/methodology/approach A total of ten reinforced concrete (RC) columns were constructed and subjected to eccentric compression, and the effects of the slenderness ratio, a variable number of wet-dry cycles and the coupled effect of loading and a chloride environment were analyzed. One of the columns tested was unreinforced, whereas the remaining columns were strengthened laterally with TRC. Findings The results showed that a reduction in the slenderness ratio was conducive to the improvement of the bearing capacity of the reinforced column; however, the reinforcement effect of TRC tended to decrease with an increasing number of wet-dry cycles, and the coupled effect of loading and a chloride environment significantly degraded the compression performance of TRC-strengthened columns, with the damage becoming more serious with increase in the sustained load ratio. Research limitations/implications - In the next test, the duration of chloride-wet-dry cycles will be extended. In the same time, to obtain a clearer trend, the authors will also increase the number of specimens to obtain more data for drawing general conclusions. Originality/value - The originality is to explore the feasibility of using cement-based materials (TRC) as a confinement technique in chloride environment. The investigations demonstrate that TRC has a good reinforcement effect on the concrete columns under chloride-wet-dry cycles. Finally, influence of each parameter is analyzed, which can be used as reference and foundation in actual application.