Abstract: Composite wall panels are a viable method of quick and inexpensive building. Providing a composite wall panel with increased shear resistance and axial load capacity is extremely desirable. A fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) cage incorporated into composite wall panels which forms a wall panel with these desirable characteristics and a method of forming such a composite wall panel is disclosed and described. The FRP cages can include FRP shells or sleeves which include two or more bars secured thereto. One or more FRP cages can be incorporated into a composite wall panel where a portion of the FRP shell is imbedded in each of two concrete layers with an insulation layer therebetween. The resulting FRP reinforced composite wall panel has improved shear resistance and axial compressive strength which can allow for use in load bearing applications and generally improved properties such as thermal insulation.

Abstract: Strengthening reinforced concrete columns by using Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites can be an effective method of retrofitting existing columns. FRP composites have a number of advantages over steel, including their high strength-to-weight ratio and excellent durability. The confinement effectiveness of FRP materials for rectangular sections can be improved by performing shape modification such that a rectangular column section is modified into a shape that does not have 90 degree comers such as an elliptical, oval or circular column. An expansive concrete can be advantageously used between the FRP material and the existing concrete in order to post-tension the FRP material circumferentially and improve confinement of the concrete. A finite element analytical model is also disclosed which model describes the stress-strain relationship for the FRP-confined columns after shape modification.