Recent cyclic tests in the United States, China, and Japan have shown that fiber-reinforced
polymer (FRP) tubes can effectively replace spiral reinforcement in reinforced concrete (RC)
columns. This study was undertaken to advance the current state of the art for concrete-filled
FRP tubes (CFFTs) by comparing their seismic performance with that of conventional RC
bridge pier columns at the sectional, member, and bridge system levels. A nonlinear finite
element model was developed for a bridge case study. Because FRP has a lower rupture …

Recent experiments in the US, Japan and China have shown that replacement of transverse
steel reinforcement in a reinforced concrete (RC) bridge column with an external fiber
reinforced polymer (FRP) tube can significantly enhance ductility and energy dissipation
capacity of the column. This paper reports on a comparative analytical study to examine the
effect of column encasement in FRP tube on its seismic performance at the sectional,
member, and system levels. A multi-span bridge in the State of Washington was chosen for …