Assessment and Retrofitting Of a Multi-Storey Reinforced Concrete Building

Abstract

Due to safety issues, many of the existing reinforced concrete structures in Cyprus, built 50 years ago, require immediate retrofitting. In general, a great number of structures have issues with reinforcement corrosion and damaged concrete, and in some instances, they are unsafe even under dead loads. Considering the high seismicity of the area, the retrofitting of buildings is crucial. This research work presents the seismic assessment of an existing multi-storey reinforced concrete building, considered to have been built with the prevailing construction practices in Cyprus in the 1970s. Furthermore, it examines various retrofitting strategies that meet the seismic requirements of the region where it is located. Specifically, strengthening with reinforced concrete walls, and concrete jacketing of various layouts and combinations are investigated to compare their contribution towards the seismic upgrade of the structure. Both the assessment and the retrofitting are conducted using non-linear static (pushover) analysis. The results show that the optimal seismic upgrade of the structure in terms of structural response to anticipated earthquakes in the area is achieved by integrating infill walls and concrete jacketing strategically in critical locations. Summing up, the present work investigates the seismic behaviour of a reinforced concrete building before and after strengthened with different combinations of concrete jacketing and reinforced concrete walls.