Brandy (Gaitan) Sutherland, M.S.

she/her

Education: Bachelor of Science in civil engineering (December 2006)

Master of Science in civil engineering from Kansas State University

McNair Project: Evaluation of Confined Concrete Model under Cyclic Loading (2006)

Mentor: Asad Esmaeily, Ph.D.

Prediction of the performance of reinforced concrete structures requires knowledge of the stress-strain relationship of the material. The strength and ductility of concrete can be improved by applying lateral pressure using conventional reinforcement such as steel spirals and bars, or other material such as Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP).

Various models have been proposed to simulate the stress-strain behavior of confined concrete. Sakai proposes a model to simulate the cyclic stress-strain response of confined concrete. The experimental test performed evaluates the cyclic stress-strain relationship path of confined concrete compared to real performance.

Three FRP confined specimens were constructed and tested under cyclic loading with different loading rates. The results show that the proposed model can capture the general performance of FRP confined concrete, but fails to predict the real stiffness and plastic strain during cyclic loading. The effects of factors such as concrete type, confinement type, loading rate and creep history have not been considered in the model.