Performance of Helical Grooved Reinforced Concrete Piles Wrapped with GFRP Subjected to Axial and Lateral Loads

In recent years, the rapid growth of tall structures has been driven by land scarcity and increasing population. As building heights increase, pile foundations become essential for structural stability. In many construction projects, structures need to be erected in challenging soil conditions, where conventional reinforced concrete (RC) piles and steel helical piles may degrade over time. RC piles often require longer driving lengths to achieve the necessary load-carrying capacity compared to steel helical piles. To address these issues, this study introduces helical grooves in RC piles to enhance its load-carrying capacity. Additionally, when foundations are exposed to harsh soil conditions that accelerate material degradation, wrapping piles with GFRP helps mitigate deterioration and enhance durability. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the performance of RC helical grooved piles wrapped with glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) under axial and lateral loads in cohesionless soil. A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the behaviour of GFRP-wrapped piles in terms of axial settlement and lateral displacement characteristics. A comparative study between GFRP-wrapped and non-wrapped piles was also carried out to analyse their performance under axial and lateral load conditions. Additionally, the effect of varying the pitch of the helical grooves on the axial and lateral load-carrying capacity of the piles was examined. The results indicate that GFRP-wrapped helical grooved piles outperform non-wrapped piles under both axial and lateral loads.