International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET)

Volume 9, Issue 6, June 2018, pp. 1369–1377, Article ID: IJCIET_09_06_153

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ISSN Print: 0976-6308 and ISSN Online: 0976-6316

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INTERACTION DIAGRAM FOR A

REINFORCED CONCRETE COLUMN
STRENGTHENED WITH STEEL JACKET
Hamza M. Salman
Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering,
University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

Mohannad H. Al-Sherrawi
Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering,
University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

ABSTRACT
In this study, the construction of axial load-bending moment interaction diagrams
for a reinforced concrete column and a steel jacket column has been presented. For a
reinforced concrete column strengthened with a steel jacket consist of vertical steel
sections connected by horizontal steel plates (battens), the axial load-bending moment
interaction diagrams have been constructed using two analytical methods: strain
compatibility method and plastic stress distribution method. In the strain compatibility
method, the effects of position of the neutral axis on the stress of concrete, reinforcing
bars, and steel section have been taken into consideration. In the plastic stress
distribution method, the position of the neutral axis has no effect on the stress of the
three components, and the maximum value of the stress has been used for each
component. The analytical results obtained by the two methods have been compared
with the experimental results for some chosen experimental specimens, and they gave
good agreement.
Key words: RC column, Interaction diagrams, Steel jacket, Strain compatibility,
Plastic stress distribution.
Cite this Article: Hamza M. Salman and Mohannad H. Al-Sherrawi, Interaction
Diagram for a Reinforced Concrete Column Strengthened with Steel Jacket,
International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 9(6), 2018, pp. 1369–
1377.
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1. INTRODUCTION
The reinforced concrete (RC) column is designed to have a nominal axial resistance. There
are many reasons for strengthening of a RC column. Under different conditions like errors in
design, overloaded the column above its permissible level, improve the building requirements
commensurate with the current code requirements (especially in respect to earthquake loads),

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 Interaction Diagram for a Reinforced Concrete Column Strengthened with Steel Jacket

changing the use of the building from residential to public or storage (extra live loads), etc.
the non-damaged RC column will not be able to sustain the desired applied load and the
strengthening is required.
Strengthening with steel jacket consist of four longitudinal steel angles connected with
each other by horizontal steel battens with specified spacing will be used in this study. To
examine the state of the strengthened RC column under concentric or eccentric applied load if
it is safe, unsafe, or at the critical limit, the axial load-bending moment (N-M) interaction
diagram needs to be constructed. In this study, two analytical methods will be used to
construct the N-M interaction diagram for the strengthened RC column. the first method is the
plastic stress distribution method, and the second method is the strain compatibility method
and there were two different models used in this method. This study primarily intends to
compare between the two analytical methods, which used for constructing the N-M
interaction diagrams for strengthened RC columns.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
The steel jacketing technique used in the strengthening of RC columns increased the column
ultimate capacity. Due to wide spacing between the steel battens which used in the study, the
confinement did not have a noticeable effect on the ultimate capacity and on the ductility of
the strengthened RC columns [1].
Tested results showed that the resistance of tested columns will not be affected too much
for the same number of steel battens with different spacing unlike the ductility. For columns
which have low compressive strength, the strengthening system improved their axial load
resistance [2].
The failure type in control specimens was a concrete compression failure. The failure was
occurred when the steel cage did not have the ability to confined the concrete. Test results
showed that using the strengthening technique increases the axial load resistance and also
increase the ductility of the strengthened specimens compared with control specimen [3].
Test results showed that strengthening techniques have been increased the axial load
resistance and increased the ductility compared with the control specimen [4].
The test results indicated that the load capacity increases with decreasing strip spacing and
increasing the area of the jacket [5].
A selected review of literature on models of confinement for concrete specimens with
steel jacketed and a parametric study in which the main confinement parameters predictable
by each of models were compared has been presented in [6].
The load carrying capacity of strengthened columns increases when the cross-sectional of
angles used increased as well as increasing the coverage area of the strengthening system [7].
Two analytical models to construct the N-M interaction diagram of an RC column
strengthened with four vertical steel angles and horizontal steel battens have been presented in
[8]. The derivation of expressions was made by assuming equivalent stress block parameters
for confined concrete.
An analytical model for the hand computation to construct the N-M interaction diagram
for an RC column strengthened with steel jacket using the plastic stress distribution method
by assuming the strengthened column behaving as a composite column has been adopted in
[9].

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 Hamza M. Salman and Mohannad H. Al-Sherrawi

A study intended to investigate the performance and behavior of RC columns

strengthened with steel jackets under concentric and eccentric axial loads is presented in [10].
Most previous researches focused on strengthened columns loaded with axial loads only
without taking the bending moments into consideration, also and for establishing the complete
guideline for designing and checking the adequacy of RC columns strengthened with steel
angles and battens, more studies on strengthened columns subjected to axial loads and
bending moments were required [11].
A non-linear finite element model by using the deactivated and reactivated techniques and
stepped loading stages, is used in [12], to simulate and investigate the behavior of adding steel
jacket to a preloaded and non-damaged RC column.

3. METHODOLOGY
In this study, two analytical methods will be used to construct the N-M interaction diagram
for the strengthened RC column. The first method is the plastic stress distribution method. In
this method, the plastic stress was used in determining the four points identified Figure 1,
which used for constructing the N-M interaction diagram. Point A is the pure axial strength,
Point D is determined as the flexural strength of the section, Point C corresponds to maximum
flexural strength with an axial strength, and Point B corresponds to a plastic neutral axis
location that results in the same flexural capacity as Point D but with twice the axial load of
Point C. For any position of the plastic neutral axis (c), the stresses in reinforcing bars and
steel angles are reaching its yield value [9]. The second method is the strain compatibility
method. In this method, the effects of confinement on concrete compressive strength, stress-
strain response of confined concrete and the reducing in the axial resistance of steel angles
will be taken into consideration. The analytical equations are developed referring to the four
main points.

Figure 1 Main points of N-M interaction diagram

Two models were adopted (Model I and Model II), the only difference between the two
models is the equations that used to include the confinement. In this method, Plain section
assumed to remain plain, strain on the concrete varies linearly along the section and the
neutral axis located at a distance  from the heaviest loading side (compression side). The
strain in the concrete, reinforcing bars and steel angles has been assumed to proportion
directly with the distance from the neutral axis. For angles and longitudinal bars in
compression and in tension it was supposed that they have to be elastic or yielded [8]. The
differences between the analytical equations for the two methods and for the main points have

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 Interaction Diagram for a Reinforced Concrete Column Strengthened with Steel Jacket

been illustrated in Table 1. The main dimensions of the strengthened RC column used are
given in Figure 2.

Figure 2 Details and dimensions of RC column and steel cage

4. VALIDATION OF ANALYTICAL MODEL

A set of an experimental investigations presented in [1], [2] and [3] which are (C2T5, C5T5,
C8T5, C11T5), (A) and (SCN1), respectively were used to validate the presented models. The
Details of these specimens are illustrated in Table 2. For each set, an N-M interaction diagram
has been drawn (Figures 3, 4 and 5).
The main four points for the two different methods have been obtained and the N-M
interaction diagrams have been made. In Figure 3, and by using method I, the comparative
with the experimental results shows that specimen C2T5 is not safe while, low conservative
N-M values for specimen C5T5 and C8T5. Specimen C11T5 is considered to be safe in this
method. This method improves the axial and flexural resistance by 63% and 257%
respectively. In method II, Model I gives lower axial resistance (Point A) by 15% than Model
II. The difference in the axial resistance comes from the difference in decreasing of the steel
jacket axial resistance due to buckling effects. In other points, there is no remarkable
difference in both the axial and flexural resistance values. By comparing the two models with
the experimental results, it can be noticed that specimen C2T5 is not safe while, the models
give low conservative N-M values for specimen C5T5 and C8T5. Specimen C11T5 is safe in
the two models.

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 Hamza M. Salman and Mohannad H. Al-Sherrawi

Table 1 The differences between Method I and Method II

Point A
Method II
Method I
Model I Model II

          

  
Point C
Method II
Method I
Model I Model II


   
 
 
                
 

Point D
Method II
Method I
Model I Model II

   &        &         &    

 
Point B
Method II
Method I
Model I Model II
    &         &        &   

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 Interaction Diagram for a Reinforced Concrete Column Strengthened with Steel Jacket

Table 2 Details of specimens used

Steel Clear
Cross- Lengt Steel fc ’ fyr fya fyh
Specime Long. section strip e
section h Tie strip size (MPa (MPa (MPa (MPa
n bars size Spacing (mm)
(mm) (mm) (mm) ) ) ) )
(mm) (mm)
Φ6 @ 120
C2T5 120×120 1000 4 Φ8 4 L 20 × 2 120×20×2 220 12 240 320 320 10
mm
Φ6 @ 120
C5T5 120×120 1000 4 Φ8 4 L 20 × 2 120×20×2 220 12 240 320 320 20
mm
Φ6 @ 120
C8T5 120×120 1000 4 Φ8 4 L 20 × 2 120×20×2 220 12 240 320 320 30
mm
Φ6 @ 120
C11T5 120×120 1000 4 Φ8 4 L 20 × 2 120×20×2 220 12 240 320 320 40
mm
Φ6 @ 150
A 200×200 700 4 Φ12 4 L 40 × 4 200×50×4 100 10 580 335 412 0
mm
Φ6 @ 100 4 L 50
SCN1 150×150 1000 4 Φ10 150×50×5 120 46.25 420 415 415 0
mm ×4.5

Figure 3 Comparison between plastic stress distribution method and strain compatibility method for
specimens in [1]

Figure 4 Comparison between plastic stress distribution method and strain compatibility method for
specimen in [2]

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 Hamza M. Salman and Mohannad H. Al-Sherrawi

In Figure 4, and by using method I, the comparative with the experimental results shows
that specimen is considered to be safe in this method. This method improves the axial and
flexural resistance by 77.5% and 206.5% respectively. In method II, Model I gives lower
axial resistance (Point A) by 18.8% than Model II. The difference in the axial resistance
comes from the difference in decreasing of the steel jacket axial resistance due to buckling
effects. In other points, there is no remarkable difference in both the axial and flexural
resistance values. By comparing the two models with the experimental results, it can be
noticed that specimen A safe in the two models.
It can be noticed in Figure 5 that the improvement of axial and flexural resistances are
85.6% and 601%, respectively. In method II, Model I gives lower axial resistance (Point A)
by 8.8% than Model II due to the difference in decreasing of steel jacket axial resistance due
to buckling effects, and higher axial values by 20.8% in the next two points (Points B and C)
due to the difference in increasing of concrete compressive strength due to confinement. In all
points there is no remarkable difference in flexural values. The two models give low
conservative N-M values when compared with the experimental specimen result.

Figure 5 Comparison between plastic stress distribution method and strain compatibility method for
specimen in [3]

As shown in Figure 3, Figure 4, and Figure 5, very little differences in the N-M between
values obtained in the two methods, because in the plastic stress distribution method the
effects of buckling in the steel cage and the effects of position of the neutral axis on the stress
of steel section and reinforcing bars have not been taken into consideration, so the axial and
flexural resistances of the steel section and reinforcing bars will not decrease, unlike the strain
compatibility method. The strain compatibility method increases the unconfined compressive
strength of the concrete due to the confinement effect and then the axial and flexural
resistances will increase, unlike the plastic stress distribution method in which it uses the
actual unconfined compressive strength of concrete. Table 3 Illustrate the improvement in
axial and flexural resistances, and unconfined concrete compressive strength for RC column
using the two methods.

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 Interaction Diagram for a Reinforced Concrete Column Strengthened with Steel Jacket

Table 3 Improvement in axial and flexural resistances, and unconfined concrete compressive strength
for RC column
Method II
Method I
Specimen Model I Model II
%M %N %  %M %N %  %M %N %
[1] 257 63 0 281 34.3 2.75 281 58 2.75
[2] 206.5 77.5 0 181 72.3 83 198 104.7 58
[3] 601 85.6 0 583 69.5 30.4 583 85.8 22.6

4. CONCLUSIONS
Adding of a steel jacket will produce a new column in which gives the ability to handle the
additional applied loads that the unstrengthened column cannot handle. For a RC strengthened
with a steel jacket consist of vertical steel sections connected by horizontal steel plates
(battens), the N-M interaction diagrams have been constructed using two analytical methods:
strain compatibility method and plastic stress distribution method. The analytical results
obtained by above methods have been compared with the experimental results for some
chosen experimental specimens, and they gave good agreement. The plastic stress distribution
method gives higher N-M values than the strain compatibility method in the zone of
compression failure, due to neglecting the effect of the position of the neutral axis on the
concrete, the reinforcing bars, and the steel jacket stresses, and also the effect of buckling of
the steel jacket.

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