• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.1765-1775
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• 2013

The application of FRP wire as a mean of improving strength and ductility capacity of concrete cylinders under axial compressive load through confinement is investigated experimentally in this study. An experimental investigation involves axial compressive test of three confining amounts of FRP wire and three concrete compressive strengths. The effectiveness of FRP wire confinement on the concrete microstructure were examined by evaluating the internal concrete damage using axial, circumferential, and volumetric strains. The axial stress-strain relations of FRP wire confined concrete showed bilinear behavior with transition region. It showed strain-hardening behavior in the post-cracking region. The load carrying capacity was linearly increased with increasing of the amount of FRP wire. The ultimate strength of the 35 MPa specimen confined with 3 layer of FRP wire was increased by 286% compared to control one. When the concrete were effectively confined with FRP wire, horizontal cracks were formed by shearing. It was developed from sudden expansion of the concrete due to confinement ruptures at one side while the FRP wire was still working in hindering expansion of concrete at the other side of the crack. The FRP wire failure strains obtained from FRP wire confined concrete tests were 55~90%, average 69.5%, of the FRP wire ultimate uniaxial tensile strain. It was as high as any other FRP confined method. The magnitude of FRP wire failure strain was related to the FRP wire effectiveness.