This paper examines the effect of PBO (P-phenylene benzobisoxazole)-FRCM (Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix) reinforcement on the stiffness of eccentrically compressed reinforced concrete columns. Reinforcement with FRCM consists of bonding composite meshes to the concrete substrate by means of mineral mortar. Longitudinal and/or transverse reinforcements made of PBO (P-phenylene benzobisoxazole) mesh were applied to the analyzed column specimens. When assessing the stiffness of the columns, the focus was on the effect of the composite reinforcement itself, the value and eccentricity of the longitudinal force and the decrease in the modulus of elasticity of the concrete with increasing stress intensity in the latter. Dependences between the change in the elasticity modulus of the concrete and the change in the stiffness of the tested specimens were examined. The relevant standards, providing methods of calculating the stiffness of composite columns, were used in the analysis. For columns, which were strengthened only transversely with PBO mesh, reinforcement increases their load capacity, and at the same time, the stiffness of the columns increases due to the confinement of the cross-section. The stiffness depends on the destruction of the concrete core inside its composite jacket. In the case of columns with transverse and longitudinal reinforcement, the presence of longitudinal reinforcement reduces longitudinal deformations. The columns failed at higher stiffness values in the whole range of the eccentricities.
Keywords: FRCM; PBO mesh; PBO–FRCM; column; stiffness.