Region 19 Education Building Column Reinforcement
Longitudinal column carbon fiber reinforcement with top and bottom anchorage at Region 19’s El Paso education building.
Delta Structural Technology completed column reinforcement at the Region 19 Education Building at 6611 Boeing Drive in El Paso. The composite design addressed a tension-capacity deficiency associated with reduced vertical reinforcing-steel area. The proposed system used vertically oriented carbon fiber on the column faces and anchors at the upper and lower connections.
- Market
- Education
- Services
- Anchored longitudinal CFRP column reinforcement
- Location
- El Paso, Texas
- Structural members
- Concrete Column Strengthening
Project challenge
The design basis identified columns participating in resistance to wind and seismic loads. The strengthening objective was equivalence to missing tension capacity, rather than simply adding a circumferential wrap. Fixed supports required the longitudinal fiber to be developed at both ends of each column, making anchorage and the adjoining slab thickness significant design considerations.
Project approach
The preliminary Simpson Strong-Tie package used vertical CSS-CUCF22 strips on the column faces, with widths and layers selected for the designated locations. Carbon fiber anchors were detailed at the top and bottom to develop the reinforcement. The anchor approach depended on the available slab thickness: the design identified a through-anchor requirement if the assumed thickness was not present. The arrangement connected the longitudinal reinforcement to its supporting concrete.
Delivery and coordination
The design package required the structural engineer of record to confirm the material and geometry assumptions before release of final calculations and drawings. These included concrete strength, reinforcing-steel properties and slab thickness. The project therefore linked the stated deficiency, the column-face fiber layout and the connection details through a defined engineering review process.
Project significance
Region 19 illustrates column strengthening where development of longitudinal fiber is central to the solution. Its distinguishing feature is anchorage at both fixed ends of the member, with a detail responsive to slab thickness. The case emphasizes that the reinforcement’s connection to the surrounding structure is as important as the fiber area itself.
