Enhancing Load-Carrying Capacity of Reinforced Concrete Columns with High Aspect Ratio Using Textile-Reinforced Mortar Systems

Abstract

This research investigates the effectiveness of textile-reinforced mortar (TRM) systems for enhancing the load-carrying capacity of reinforced concrete columns (RCCs) with high aspect ratio. This study focuses on the use of the TRM systems as an alternative to fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) systems, addressing challenges such as high cost, poor performance at high temperatures, incompatibility with substrate materials, and inability to be applied to damp surfaces. It includes a detailed analysis of the TRM systems’ effectiveness through an experimental evaluation, with a particular focus on RCCs having high aspect ratio. The obtained results reveal a significant strength improvement, ranging from 50% to 129%, for RCCs with the aspect ratios decreasing from three to two, with the workmanship contributing to the observed strength enhancement. Achieving a consistent and uniform distribution of the mortar layer, seamlessly aligned with the column surfaces, proves crucial. The study also highlights the importance of the mortar layer thickness, particularly in cases of the reduced aspect ratios. An enhancement of the load-carrying capacity ranges from 3.65% to 8.53%, for the reduction in the aspect ratio from 5 to 4.16 and 3.24, respectively. The confined specimens display varying peak axial strains, exhibiting commendable elastic–plastic behavior with non-linear ascending curves.