Experimental and theoretical insights into the load-bearing performance of CFRP-wrapped reinforced concrete piles in marine environments

Abstract

In this paper, the theoretical and experimental investigations of the vertical bearing performance of reinforced concrete piles subjected to varying levels of corrosion and different methods of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) wrapping reinforcement are presented. A chloride diffusion model and a fixed-value method are employed to predict the initial corrosion time of the composite piles. Utilizing Faraday's law, a relationship model correlating the corrosion ratio with service time is established. Furthermore, a bearing capacity model for CFRP-reinforced corroded piles is proposed based on the strength models of confined reinforced concrete and corroded reinforced concrete. The parameters of the calculation model are optimized through experimental validation. The study analyzes the effects of various wrapping reinforcement methods on the load-displacement curves and the vertical bearing performance of corroded reinforced concrete piles, as well as the influence of different factors on bearing performance over time. The results indicate that as the service life of reinforced concrete piles increases, the bearing capacity decreases rapidly after the onset of initial corrosion of the reinforcement. The bearing capacity of corroded reinforced concrete piles is significantly increased after being wrapped with CFRP. The greater the number of wrapping layers and the higher the confining volumetric ratio, the more pronounced the improvement in bearing capacity.