Recently, Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) have been successfully used for
retrofitting or strengthening of existing concrete structural members due to their
superior properties such as high strength, corrosion resistance and ease of
application. However, their behavior under elevated temperature, likely to occur
in case of fire, is a problem that presents a threat to the strengthened member.
This paper presents numerical investigation of reinforced concrete (RC)
columns strengthened with FRP and insulated by a thermal resisting coating
under service load and fire conditions. The finite element numerical modeling
and nonlinear analysis are made using the general purpose software ANSYS
12.1. Numerical modeling is made for FRP-strengthened and insulated RC
columns that have been experimentally tested under standard fire tests in the
published literature. The obtained numerical results are in good agreement with
the experimental ones regarding the temperature distribution and axial
deformations. Thus, the presented modeling gives an economic tool to
investigate the performance of loaded FRP strengthened columns under high
temperatures. Furthermore, the model can be used to design thermal protection
layers for FRP strengthened RC columns to satisfy fire resistance requirements
specified in building codes and standards.