The seismic behaviors of exterior polyvinyl chloride-carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (PVC-CFRP) confined concrete (PCCC) column-ring-beam joints (hereafter referred to as exterior PCRB joints) under low cyclic loading were investigated. A total of 11 specimens were tested to analyze the effects of the structural parameters (i.e., the reinforcement ratio of the ring beam, the CFRP-strip spacing, the ring-beam width, the reinforcement ratio of the frame beam, and the axial compression ratio) on the failure modes and hysteretic behavior. Three different failure modes, including the failure of the frame beam, the failure of the junction between the frame beam and the ring beam, and the shear failure of the ring-beam joint, were observed. The experimental results showed that the pinching effects of the hysteresis curves decreased and that the slope of the descending stage of the skeleton curves gradually decreased with the enhancement of the reinforcement ratio of the ring beam, axial compression ratio, and ring-beam width. The effects of the CFRP-strip spacing and the reinforcement ratio of the frame beam on the hysteresis loops and skeleton curves were marginal, while the reinforcement ratio of the frame beam exerted significant effects on the failure modes. Therefore, a model for predicting the skeleton curves of exterior PCRB joints and hysteresis rules was proposed, based on the softening constitutive relation of the concrete and a regression analysis of the test data. Ultimately, a load-displacement hysteresis model of the exterior PCRB joints was established and validated by the test data, with good agreement.
Keywords: FRP; PVC–FRP confined concrete; beam; column; hysteresis loop; joint; seismic behavior; skeleton curve.