Compressive Behavior of Longitudinally Cracked Timber Columns Retrofitted Using FRP Sheets

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study on the compressive behavior of timber columns with longitudinal cracks. Material property tests and full-scale compression tests were conducted to investigate the failure modes and the recovery in the load-carrying capacity of cracked timber columns with the use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sheet wrapping. Different combinations of column geometries, crack dimensions, and types and spacing of FRP sheets were considered. A finite-element method (FEM)-based model was developed and verified on the basis of the test results. A parametric study was also conducted by using the verified model to further quantify the influences of crack dimensions and types and spacing of the FRP sheets. It was found that wrapping FRP sheets around cracked timber columns can recover their load-carrying capacity by up to 20%.