Restoration of pre-damaged RC bridge columns using basalt FRP composites

This study aims to identify the effect of both longitudinal reinforcement details and damage level on making a decision of repairing pre-damaged bridge columns using basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) jackets. Two RC bridge columns with improper details of the longitudinal and/or transverse reinforcement were tested under the effect of a constant axial load and increasing lateral cyclic loading. Test results showed that the lap-splice column exhibited an inferior performance where it showed rapid degradation of strength before achieving the theoretical strength and its deformation capacity was limited; however, quick restoration is possible through a suitable rehabilitation technique. On the other hand, expensive repair or even complete replacement could be the decision for the column with the confinement failure mode. After that, a rehabilitation technique using external BFRP jacket was adopted. Performance-based design details guaranteeing the enhancement in the inelastic performance of both damaged columns were addressed and defined. Test results of the repaired columns confirmed that both reparability and the required repairing time of damage structures are dependent on the reinforcement details at the plastic hinge zone. Furthermore, lap-splice of longitudinal reinforcement could be applied as a key design-tool controlling reparability and restorability of RC structures after massive actions.