RETROFITTING OF

EARTHQUAKE AFFECTED
BUILDINGS
WHAT IS RETROFITTING
IS 13935
To upgrade the earthquake resistence up to the
level
of the level of the present day codes by approriate
techniques.
CEB 1995
Concepts including strengthening, repairing and
remoulding
Newman , 2001
It is an upgrading of certain building system, such
as mechanical, electrical, or structural, to improve
performance, function or appearance
•Seismic retrofitting is the modification of
existing structures to make them more
resistant
to seismic activity, ground motion, or soil
failure
due to earthquakes.
•The retrofit techniques are also applicable
for
other natural hazards such as tropical
cyclones,
tornadoes, and severe winds from
thunderstorms.
WHEN & FOR WHAT ???
• CIRCUMSTANCES
– (i ) earthquake damaged buildings
– ( ii) earthquake vulnerable buildings.
WHY RETROFITTING
• This proves to be a better option
catering
to the economic considerations and
immediate shelter problems rather than
replacement of buildings
RETROFIT PERFORMANCE
OBJECTIVES
• With the development of Performance based earthquake
engineering (PBEE), several level of performance
objectives are
gradually recognized:
• PUBLIC SAFETY ONLY. The goal is to protect
human life, ensuring
that the structure will not collapse upon its occupants or
passers
by, and that the structure can be safely exited. Under severe
seismic conditions the structure may be a total economic
write off,
‐

requiring tear down and replacement.

‐

• STRUCTURE SURVIVABILITY. The goal is that

the structure, while
remaining safe for exit, may require extensive repair (but
not
replacement) before it is generally useful or considered safe
for
occupation. This is typically the lowest level of retrofit
applied to
bridges.
RETROFIT PERFORMANCE
OBJECTIVES
• STRUCTURE FUNCTIONALITY.
Primary structure
undamaged and the structure is
undiminished in
utility for its primary application. A high
level of
retrofit, this ensures that any required
repairs are
only "cosmetic" for example, minor cracks
‐

in
plaster , drywall and stucco. This is the
minimum
acceptable level of retrofit for hospitals.
• STRUCTURE UNAFFECTED. This
level of retrofit is
preferred for historic structures of high
cultural
significance.
NEED IN EARTHQUAKE VULNERABLE
BUILDINGS
• (a) the buildings have been designed according to
a seismic
code, but the code has been upgraded in later years;
•• (b) buildings designed to meet the modern
seismic codes,
but deficiencies exist in the design or construction;
• (c) essential buildings must be strengthened like
hospitals
historical monuments and architectural buildings;
•(d) important buildings whose service is assumed
to be
essential even just after an earthquake;
• (e) buildings the use of which has changed
through the years;
• (f) buildings that are expanded, renovated or
rebuilt.
SEISMIC EVALUATION OF
BUILDINGS
• to assess the seismic capacity of
earthquake
vulnerable buildings or earthquake
damaged
buildings for the future use.
• helpful for degree of intervention
required in
seismically deficient structure
• Methodologies
• (i) qualitative methods
• (ii) analytical methods
• QUALITATIVE
METHODS
• based on the background information
available of the building and its
construction site
– architectural and structural drawings
– past performance of similar buildings under
severe earthquakes,
– visual inspection report,
– some non destructive test results.
‐
 •ANALYTICAL
METHOD

Based on the consideration of the capacity and ductility of

buildings on the basis of available drawings.

METHODS

– Capacity/Demand(C /D) method,

– Screening method,
– Pushover analysis,
– Nonlinear inelastic analysis etc.
Evaluation procedure should be very simple and immediate
based on synthetic information that can prove suitable for
risk evaluation on largepopulations.
Therefore, qualitative evaluation of the buildings is
generally
being carried out.
• COMPONENTS OF SEISMIC
EVALUATION
METHODOLOGY
1.CONDITION ASSESSMENT based
on
– (i) data collection or information gathering
of
structures from architectural and structural
drawings
– (ii) performance characteristics of similar
typeof
buildings in past earthquakes
– (iii) rapid evaluation of strength ,drift,
materials,
structural components and structural details.
• used basically for undamaged existing
structures.
• 2. VISUAL INSPECTION/FIELD
EVALUATION
– based on observed distress and damage in
structures.
– Visual inspection is more useful for
damaged
structures however it may also be conducted
for
undamaged structures
• 3. NON DESTRUCTIVE
‐

EVALUATION (NDE)
– for quick estimation of materials strength,
– determination of the extent of deterioration
– to establish causes
– used for preparation of drawing in case of
non ‐

availability.
SOURCE OF WEAKNESS IN
RC FRAME
BUILDING
• (i) discontinuous load path/interrupted
load
path/irregular load path
• (ii) lack of deformation compatibility
of
structural members
• (iii) quality of workmanship and poor
quality
of materials
CONCRETE
RETROFITTING
BASIC CONCEPTS at
(CEB, 1997):
• (a) up gradation of the lateral strength
of the
structure;
• (b) increase in the ductility of structure;
• (c) increase in strength and ductility.
It is suggested that the cost of retrofitting
of a
structure should remain below 25% of the
replacement as major justification of
retrofitting
CONSIDERATION IN
RETROFITTING OF
STRUCTURES
METHOD USED depends on
• the horizontal and vertical load
resisting
system of the structure
• the type of materials used for parent
construction.
• On the technology that is feasible and
economical.
CONSIDERATION IN
RETROFITTING OF
STRUCTURES
• SELECTION OF RETROFITTING
METHODS OF
BUILDINGS ALSO DEPENDS ON:
 as derived from the earthquake damage surveys by
– understanding of mode of failure,
– structural behavior
– weak and strong design aspects
SOURCE OF WEAKNESS IN
RC FRAME
BUILDING
• (i) discontinuous load path/interrupted
load
path/irregular load path
• (ii) lack of deformation compatibility
of
structural members
• (iii) quality of workmanship and poor
quality
of materials
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
DUE TO
DISCONTINUOUS LOAD
PATH
• seismic forces should be properly
collected by
the horizontal framing system and
properly
transferred into vertical lateral resisting
system
• discontinuity/irregularity in this load
path or
load transfer may cause structural
damage
during strong earthquakes.
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
DUE TO LACK
OF DEFORMATION
• MAIN PROBLEMS
– limited amount of ductility and
– the inability to redistribute load in order to
safely withstand the deformations imposed
upon
in response to seismic loads.
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
DUE TO LACK
OF DEFORMATION

The most common regions of failure

in an existing reinforced concrete frame.
Beams
• In reinforced concrete beams, the major
problems exist at the right end,
considering
seismic forces left to right
• A brittle shear failure could occur due
to
superposing of shear forces caused by
vertical loading and seismic loading.
‐

Beam
column joints
• in case of strong column weak beam
‐

behaviour,
– the joint may be heavily stressed after beam
yielding and diagonal cracking may be formed
in
the connection.
– Wide flexural cracks may develop at the
beam end
– partially attributable to the slip of beam
reinforcement within the connection.
• Such shear cracking may reduce the
stiffness
of a building.
QUALITY OF WORKMANSHIP
AND MATERIALS
• faulty construction practices
– lack of amount and detailing of reinforcement as per
requirement of code
– the end of lateral reinforcement is not bent by 135 degree
• lack of quality control
– of design material strength as specified,
– spalling of concrete by the corrosion of embedded
reinforcing
bars,
– porous concrete,
– age of concrete,
– Proper maintenance etc
RETROFITTING
STRATEGIES FOR RC
BUITDINGS
• Structural Level (or Global) Retrofit
Methods
• Two approaches
– (i) conventional methods ……based on
increasing the seismic resistance of existing
structure
– (ii) non conventional methods….basedon
‐

reduction of seismic demands.

CONVENTIONAL
METHODS
• ADDING NEW SHEAR WALLS
– Frequently used for retrofitting of non ductile
‐

reinforced concrete frame buildings.

– The added elements can be either cast in‐ ‐

place or
pre cast concrete elements.
‐

– New elements preferably be placed at the

exterior
of the building.
– Not preferred in the interior of the structure
to
avoid interior mouldings.

• TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS:
– (a) determining the adequacy of existing floor
and
roof slabs to carry the seismic forces;
– (b) transfer of diaphragm shear into the new
shear
walls with dowels;
– (c) adding new collector and drag members to
the
diaphragm;
– (d) increase in the weight and concentration of
shear by the addition of wall which may affect the
foundations
• CONSTRUCTIONAL
CONSIDERATION
• to find locations where walls can be added and well
located
which may align to the full height of the building to
minimize
torsion
• desirable to locate walls adjacent to the beam
between
columns so that only minimum slab demolition is
required
with connections made to beam at the sides of
columns
• The longitudinal reinforcement must be placed at
the ends of
the wall running continuously through the entire
height.
• the reinforcement has to pass through holes in slabs
and
around the beams to avoid interference.
• Wall thickness also varies from 15 to 25 cm (6 to
10 inch) and
is normally placed externally.
• LIMITATIONS:
• (i) increase in lateral resistance but it is concentrated at a
few
places
• ( ii) increased overturning moment at foundation causes
very high
uplifting that needs either new foundations or strengthening
of the
existing foundations,
• (iii) increased dead load of the structure
• (iv) excessive destruction at each floor level results in
functional
disability of the buildings
• (v) possibilities of adequate attachment between the new
walls
and the existing structure,
• (vi) closing of formerly open spaces can have major
negative
impact on the interior of the building or exterior
appearance.
ADDING STEEL
BRACINGS
• an effective solution when large openings are
required.
• Potential advantage over other schemes for the
following reasons:
– higher strength and stiffness , can be proved,
– opening for natural light can be made easily,
– amount of work is less since foundation cost may
be
minimized,
– the bracing system adds much less weight to the
existing
structure,
– most of the retrofitting work can be performed with
prefabricated elements and disturbance to the
occupants
may be minimized.
• TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
• can be used for steel structures as well as
concrete structure.
• The effective slenderness ratio of brace
kept
relatively low so that braces are effective
in
compression as well as tension,
• suggested ratio are 80 to 60 or even
lower
• Collector's members are recommended
for
transferring forces between the frame and
bracing system.
• CONSTRUCTIONAL CONSIDERATION
• The available dead load of structure has to be
considered to
• determine the amount or number of bays of
bracing
that can be mobilized to resist overturning
• uplift, as steel bracing is relatively light.
Bracing bays
usually require vertical columns at ends
• to resist overturning forces to work vertically,
as
chords of a cantilever truss are arranged
• horizontally at each floor level. It is to be
connected to
the horizontal diaphragms by collectors
CASE STUDY: SEISMIC RETROFITTING OF RC
BUILDING BY STEEL
BRACING AND INFILL WALLS
Typical features of the building
●Number of stories –six stories consisting of a basement, ground

level with five upper floors

● Lateral load resisting systems – reinforced concrete frames

● Floor system – waffle slab
● Foundation system – mat foundation with retaining walls

around the perimeter, friction piles were placed under the mat
foundation
Features of Damages in Mexico Earthquake, 1985
No significant damage during the earthquake. Only minor
damage to
non structural walls foundation performed well.
‐
Retrofitting Techniques Employed
●Although there is no significant damage
retrofitting was done for future events and to
eliminate the damage in nonstructural elements.
●Steel bracing in transverse direction.
●Infilled masonry walls were reinforced to stiffen
the structure in the longitudinal direction.
Expected Performance
Analysis was performed to verify that the
●

upgraded structure could resist the code loads

The bracing frames were designed in such a
●

way
that they would carry all the lateral loads while
the existing structure was considered to carry all
the vertical loads.