Reliability and performance of CFRP-strengthened RC piles under static lateral loads: Enhancing durability and load-bearing capacity

Pile foundations are typically utilized when it is required to move substantial super structural loads through brittle subsoil. Along with axial loads, piles are subject to heavy lateral loads and overturning moments. While the lateral loads for onshore structures are typically between 10% and 15% of the vertical loads, they may exceed 30% for coastal and offshore structures. Pile constructions must be properly built to withstand such lateral loads. Recently, numerous studies have focused on outwardly glued fibre-reinforced polymer composites to strengthen concrete structures. This study applies static lateral forces on cast-in-situ reinforced concrete (RC) piles, which have undergone wrapping and strengthening with carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP). In this study, static lateral forces were applied on cast-in-situ reinforced concrete (RC) piles that underwent CFRP wrapping and strengthening. The experiment demonstrated that CFRP confinement significantly improved the lateral load-bearing capacity of the piles, with unidirectional CFRP-confined piles exhibiting up to 63.35% greater strength than unconfined piles under similar loading conditions. These findings highlight the efficiency of CFRP in reinforcing piles for coastal and offshore applications.