Strengthening of Fire Damaged Reinforced Concrete Columns Using Ferrocement

Abstract

A number of things, like extreme loading and severe environmental exposures, can cause the deterioration of ferroconcrete Reinforced Concrete columns. Ferrocement is currently used as a part of the well-liked method for extending the lifetime of a deteriorated column. The appliance of Ferrocement is restricted to the strengthening of loaded RC columns which have been broken by fire. Depending on the fire’s intensity (duration and temperature), the exposure of an RC column to a fireplace may result in a reduction in the strength of the column during both the heating and cooling periods. The utilization of Ferrocement is often effective in restoring the strength of the column, although it'll require careful protection to protect against heating in the future. This research concerns the effectiveness of using Ferrocement confinement to repair RC columns damaged by fire. The effectiveness of confinement is set by comparing the behaviors of retrofitted, controlled, and fire damaged specimens. Locally available materials like steel wire mesh as a neighborhood of Ferrocement confinement have been utilized in this study because of the confining materials. For this purpose, six rectangular short columns with a dimension of 150 mm × 150 mm × 800 mm have been cast and tested. The residual behavior of the columns after being retrofitted is evaluated and compared against that of the control columns. The test results show that the effect of confinement has been evaluated by comparing the results with unconfined and fire damaged specimens. The load capacity of the columns has decreased by about 46 % after the fire damage. Further the capacity is increased by 23% and 49% using Ferro cement confinement with one layer and two layer respectively.