[SEISMIC RETROFITTING OF REINFORCED CONCRETE

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1. Introduction:-
After any disaster many structures get damaged fully, partially or slightly. This damage to the
structures causes irreparable losses of life with a large number of causalities. Thus the frightened
occupants may refuse to enter the building until its safety is assured. Thus to increase the
resistant of damaged structure by various techniques is called Retrofitting. Seismic retrofitting
is the modification of existing structures to make them more resistant to seismic activity, ground
motion, or soil failure due to earthquakes. In designers term it can also be defined as increasing
the seismic resistant of damaged structure by various techniques as per IS: 13935-1993 is called
seismic Retrofitting. Other retrofit techniques are applicable to areas subject to tropical cyclones,
tornadoes, and severe winds from thunderstorms. It is important to keep in mind that there is no
such thing as an earthquake proof structure, although performance can be greatly enhanced
through proper initial design or subsequent modifications.

BUILDING AFTER EARTHQUAKE BUILDING AFTER RETROFITTING

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2. Need For Retrofitting:-

The basic concept of retrofitting aims at:-
 Up gradation of lateral strength of the structure
 Increase the ductility of the structure
 Increase of strength and ductility
Thus Seismic Retrofitting is required for buildings under two circumstances:-
I. Earthquake damaged buildings.
II. Earthquake vulnerable buildings that has not experienced severe earthquake.

I. Earthquake damaged buildings.

Seismic retrofit is primarily applied to achieve public safety, with various levels of structure
and material survivability determined by economic considerations:

 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.

 Primary structure undamaged and the structure are 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, etc. 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.

II. Earthquake vulnerable buildings that has not experienced severe earthquake
The need of retrofitting of the existing earthquake vulnerable buildings may arise due to the
following reasons:

 The building has been designed as per the IS code, but the code has been upgraded in last
years.

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 Buildings designed to meet the recent seismic code, but deficiencies exist in design or
construction.
 Essential buildings must be strengthened like hospitals, historic monuments and
architectural buildings.
 Important buildings whose service is essential even just after earthquake
 Buildings, whose use has changed after the years
 Buildings which are expanded renovated or rebuilt.

The most common structures requiring extensive retrofit are bridges, road viaducts, towers,
unreinforced masonry and insufficiently reinforced concrete buildings, and mid-size buildings of
around ten stories high. Buildings around ten stories high will tend to have resonant periods
similar to the periodic motions of the ground in an earthquake and so can shake violently enough
to collapse. This size of building is also often made of insufficiently reinforced concrete or
masonry. Low rise buildings will be relatively stiff and light and so have a higher resonance
frequency while higher buildings will usually incorporate ductile steel frames and by their height
will have lower natural frequencies.

3. Sources of Weakness In RC Frame Buildings:-

The damage to the RC structure frames mainly occurs due to following reasons:-
I. Discontinuous load path
II. Lack of deformation compatibility of structural members
III. Quality of workmanship and poor quality of materials

Discontinuous load path:-Every structure should resist two loads vertical and horizontal.
Vertical transferring vertically to ground and horizontal to vertical load transferring system and
to ground. Any discontinuity or irregularity in this path causes severe damage to the structure
during earthquake. Thus all the structural and non structural elements should have ductility,
sufficient strength and well connected to the structural system so that load path is complete and
strong.

Lack of deformation compatibility of structural members:-The most common region of

failure is columns, beams, walls and beam-column joint. Inadequate ductility and strength of the
member/region causes failure during earthquake.

Quality of workmanship and poor quality of materials:- Faulty construction due to the
works man and poor quality of material (e.g. lack of reinforcement as per code) causes failure of
structure.

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4. Classification Of Retrofitting Techniques:-

There are two ways to enhance the seismic capacity of existing building structures.
1. Structural level approach of retrofitting which involves global modification to the
structural system.
2. Member level approach of retrofitting or local retrofitting which deals with an increase
of the ductility of the components with adequate capacity to satisfy their specific limit
states.
Based on the above concept the available techniques of retrofitting of reinforced structures are
classified as in figure:

Retrofitting Techniques

Global/Structural level Local/member level

Jacketing of Beams
Adding Shear Wall
Convectional
method
Adding Infill Wall Jacketing of Columns

Adding Bracing
Jacketing of Beam-
Column Joint
Adding Wing Wall

Wall Thickening Strengthening of

Individual Footing
Mass Reduction

Non- Supplement Damping

Convectional and Base Isolation
method

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4(a) Structural level (or Global) Retrofit methods

I. Conventional methods: based on increasing the seismic resistance of existing
structure.
a) Adding new shear walls
b) Adding steel bracings
c) Adding infill walls

II. Non- Conventional methods: based on reduction of seismic demands

a) Seismic base isolation

Conventional strengthening methods

It is the method of increasing the seismic resistance of existing structure by eliminating or
reducing the adverse effect of design or construction.
a) Adding new shear wall
Reinforced concrete (RC) buildings often have vertical plate-like RC walls called Shear Walls in
addition to slabs, beams and columns. These walls generally start at foundation level and are
continuous throughout the building height. Their thickness can be as low as 150mm, or as high
as 400mm in high rise buildings. Shear walls are usually provided along both length and width of
buildings. Shear walls are like vertically-oriented wide beams that carry earthquake loads
downwards to the foundation.
One of the most common methods of retrofitting is providing the shear wall to increase the
lateral strength of the reinforced concrete buildings. A reasonable ductility may also be achieved
if the walls are properly designed with a good detailing. The connection to the existing structure
has to be carefully designed to guarantee shear transfer. They can be cast-in-situ of precast
concrete elements.

Limitations of this method:

 Increase in lateral resistance but it is concentrated at a few places
 Increase in overturning moment at foundation causes very high uplift that needs either
new foundation or strengthening of the existing foundation
 Increases the dead load of the structure
 Excessive destruction at each floor level results in functional disability of the building
 Possibilities of adequate attachment between the new and the existing wall
 Closing of the formerly open spaces can have major negative impact on the interior of the
building or exterior appearance.

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b) Adding steel bracings:

Another method of retrofitting is use of steel bracings.
These are an effective solution for buildings with large
openings. The following reasons for which it has been used
are as follows:
 Higher strength and stiffness can be provided
 Opening of the natural light can be made easy
 Bracing system adds less weight to the existing
structure
 Most of the work can be performed with pre-
fabricated elements and disturbance to the
occupants may be minimized.
 It is cost effective.

STEEL BRACINGS PROVIDED

Retrofitting of buildings with steel bracing show linear
behavior even up to twice the design load. Effective slenderness of the bracing should be kept

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relatively low 80 to 60 or lower, so that bracings are effective in compression as well as in

tension. Bracing bays require vertical columns to resist the over turning forces.
Limitations of this method:
 Lack of information about the seismic behavior of the added bracing
 Undesirable changes regarding original architectural features
 Section failure may cause impact on over all performance of the building
 High level workers are necessary for construction
 Cost efficiency specially to welding is necessary

c) Adding infill walls:

Adding of infill walls as shown in the figure also helps in increasing the structural strength
against seismic force. It is economical and effective method to improve strength and reduce drift
of frame. By proper selection of infill masonry strength with its prevention of separation of
columns, a more desirable failure can be achieved. Good anchorage prevents premature
shear/flexural column failure.
Limitations of this method:
 Some columns in the frame are subjected to large axial tensile forces, which may exceed
the capacity of the column that have been designed for little or no flexure but only for
axial and gravity load.

Non-Conventional strengthening methods

This method aims at reducing the seismic forces on the structure using various techniques of
base isolation. It is a powerful and relatively cheaper method of seismic retrofitting for buildings.
a) Base isolation:

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The seismic base isolation technology involves placing flexible isolation systems between the
foundation and the superstructure. By means of their flexibility and energy absorption capability,
the isolation systems reflect and absorb part of the earthquake input energy before this energy is
fully transmitted to the superstructure, reducing the energy dissipation demand on the super-
structure. Base isolation causes the natural period of the structure to increase and results in
increased displacements across the isolation level and reduced accelerations and displacements
in the superstructure during an earthquake. This not only provides safety against collapse, but
also largely reduces damage, which is crucial for facilities that should remain operational after
severe earthquakes such as emergency response centers, hospitals, and fire stations. Base
isolation can also be used in seismic retrofitting of historic structures without impairing their
architectural characteristics by reducing the induced seismic forces. Base isolation is generally
suitable for low to medium rise buildings, usually up to 10-12 stories high, which have their
fundamental frequencies in the range of expected dominant frequencies of earthquakes. Super-
structure characteristics such as height, width, aspect ratio, and stiffness are important in
determining the applicability and effectiveness of seismic isolation. The seismicity of the region
and the underlying soil conditions should also be considered in the feasibility studies and design
process. Base isolation should be avoided in areas where expected fundamental frequencies of
the earthquakes are in the lower frequency domain or on soft soil sites where amplification of
low earthquake frequencies may occur. One other constraint in the application of base isolation
is the large relative displacements between the superstructure and the supporting ground at the
isolation level. A clearance around the building must be provided and maintained through the life
of the structure to accommodate the expected large displacements. Such displacements may be
reduced with the incorporation of additional
stiffness and energy dissipation mechanisms in
the isolation system.

Normally, excavations are made around the

building and the building is separated from the
foundations. Steel or reinforced concrete beams
replace the connections to the foundations, while
under these , the isolating pads replace the
material removed. While the pads tend to
transmit some of the ground motion to the
building, they also keep the building positioned
properly over the foundation. Careful attention to
detail is required where the building interfaces
with the ground, especially at entrances,
stairways and ramps, to ensure sufficient relative
motion of those structural elements.

Base isolation can be achieved by inserting

flexible pads at the foundation which damps the
seismic forces from ground to the super
structures.

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Another approach for controlling seismic damage in buildings and improving their seismic
performance is by installing seismic dampers in place of structural elements, such as diagonal
braces. When seismic energy is transmitted through them, dampers absorb part of it, and thus
damp the motion of the building. Commonly used types of seismic dampers include viscous
dampers (energy is absorbed by silicone-based fluid passing between piston-cylinder
arrangement), friction dampers
(energy is absorbed by surfaces with friction between them rubbing against each other), and
yielding dampers (energy is absorbed by metallic components that yield)
Its main advantages are:
 Better protection against earthquake due to decreasing of shears
 Foundation system will not need any reinforcement to resist overturning moments
 Least interrupting the building activities since work is carried out at the basement

Limitation/Disadvantages of this method:

 It is very expensive.
 It requires skilled technical workers.

1. Remove Finishing 2. Encase by half tube steel plate 3. Cut off existing column
fill concrete
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4. Install Isolator 5. Grout mortar 6. Cut off steel panel

Process of Seismic Retrofitting by Base Isolation in Mid-storey

Base Isolation in Mid-storey

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1. Excavate 2.New Foundation 3. Cut off control piles

4. Set isolator base & grout 5. Install Isolator & fix 6. Cut off piles
Process of Seismic Retrofitting by Base Isolation in buildings resting on pile.

4(b) Member level (or Local) Retrofit methods

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The member level/local retrofit methods are to upgrade the strength of the member which is
seismically deficient. These methods costs more compared to global method. The most common
methods used are as follows:
a) Jacketing of columns
b) Jacketing of beams
c) Jacketing of beam-column joint
d) Strengthening of individual footing
Jacketing is the most popularly used methods for strengthening the building. The most
commonly used are steel jacket, reinforced concrete jacket and fiber reinforced polymer jacket.
The main purpose of jacketing are:
 To increase concrete confinement by transverse fiber/reinforcement
 To increase shear strength by transverse fiber/reinforcement
 To increase flexural strength by longitudinal fiber/reinforcement

a) Jacketing of columns:-
Jacketing of columns consist of adding concrete with longitudinal and transverse reinforcement
around the existing column. This improves the axial and shear strength of the column, while the
flexural strength of the beam column joint remains the same. Jacketing of the column is carried
in three ways (i) reinforced concrete jacketing (ii) fiber reinforced polymer jacketing and (iii)
steel jacketing.
(i)Reinforced concrete jacketing: This method of jacketing is the most suitable for reinforced
concrete buildings. So it is the widely used and cost effective for RC buildings, as it is familiar to
engineers and construction industry, suitable for repair. Also it increases the (i) shear capacity of
the columns in order to accomplish strong column and weak beam design (ii) to improve flexural
strength by longitudinal steel provided continuously from slab and anchored to the foundation.
Limitation of these method/disadvantages:
Concrete jacketing has certain draw backs in comparison to other methods of retrofitting:
 They considerably increase member cross section dimension, which may be a serious
draw back in buildings with less floor area.
 They disturb the occupants of the building during construction
 Production of dust and debris causes pollution and health hazards
 They also cause noise pollution at work area.
 Rusting of bars takes place.
Here the placement of ties should be 70-100 mm for concreting. Close perimeter ties are
provided around longitudinal bars to provide shear strength. Usually octagonal ties are provided
outside the old one for drilling effect. They are hooked at 90-135 .An octagonal ties may be

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replaced by short corner ties at 45 .Tie hooks around the bundles are more difficult to construct
and normally have large diameter bent to accommodate the bundle bars.

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CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES FOR COLUMN

JACKETING

DETAILS FOR PROVISION OF LONGITUDINAL

REINFORCMENT.

Details for reinforced concrete jacketing (UNDP/UNIDO,1983)

Properties of jacket  Match with the concrete of the existing structure

 Compressive strength greater than that of the existing

structures by 5N/mm2 (50kg/cm2),or atleast equal to
that of existing structure
Minimum width of jacket
 10 cm for concrete cast-in-place and 4cm for shortcrete

 If possible, four sided jacket should be used

 A monolithic behaviour of the column should be assured

 Narrow gap should be provided to prevent any increase

in flexural capacity

 3A/fy, where , A area of the contact in cm 2 and fy is in

kg/ cm 2
Minimum area of longitudinal
reinforcement  Spacing should not exceed six times the width of the
new element (the jacket in case) up to the limit of
60cm.

 Percentage of steel in the jacket w.r.t the jacket area

should be limited between 0.015 to 0.04

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 At least a 12mm bar should be used at every corner of

the four sited jacket

 Designed and spaced as per earthquake design practice

Minimum area of the
transverse reinforcement  Minimum dia used for ties is not less than 10mm or 1/3
of the diameter of the biggest longitudinal bar.

 The ties should have 135-degree hook with 10 mm bar

diameter anchorage.

 Due to difficulty of manufacturing 135-degree hooks at

field, ties made up of multiple pieces, can be used.

Shear stress in the interface  Provide adequate shear transfer mechanism to assure
monolitic behaviour

 A relative movement between both concrete interface (

between the jacket and the element) should be prevented

 Chipping the concrete cover of the original member and

roughening its surface may be improve the bond
between the new and the old concrete

 For the four sided jacket the ties should be used to

confine and the shear reinforcement to the composite
element

 For 1,2,3 sided jacket, special reinforecement should be

provide to enhance monilithic behaviour

 Connectors should be anchored in both the concrete

Connectors such that it may develop at lesat 80% of the yield stress.

 Distributed uniformly around the interface, avoiding

concentration at specific location

 It is better to use anchored bar with epoxy resins.

(ii)Fiber Reinforced Polymer: here fiber reinforcement polymer jackets are used. It covers
section and lends themselves better than concrete jacketing for strengthening and enhancement
of deformation and capacity without flexural strengthening. They usually comes in two pieces :
one straight piece driven through the hole drilled in web, and a U-shaped piece around the edge
of the wall and lap welded to the other piece. They have following advantages:

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 Carbon fiber is flexible and can be made to contact with the surface tightly for a high
degree of confinement because of its high strength and modulus of elasticity.
 It is light weight
 Rusting does not occur

Limitations of this method:

 In some cases the presence of beam may require majority of new longitudinal bars to be
bundled in the corner of the jacket
 With the presence of the existing column it is difficult to provide cross ties for new
longitudinal bars which are not at the corner of the jacket.
 Jacketing is based only on engineering judgment as there are no guidelines or code
recommended for it.

(iii)steel jacketing: It is similar to reinforced concrete jacketing but here steel plates are provided
instead of reinforced bar.

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DRIVING BOLTS THROUGH PLATE

Details of Steel Jacketing

Steel plate thickness  At least 6mm.

Height of jacket  1.2 to 1.5 times splice length in case of flexural column

 Full height of column in case of shear columns

Shape of jackets  Rectangular jacketing , prefabricated two L-shaped
panels.

Free ends of jacket  Welded throughout the height of the jacket, size of weld
1/4”
Bottom clearance
 38mm (1.5”), steel jacket may be terminated above the
top of footing to avoid any possible bearing of the steel
jacket against the footing, to avoid the local damage to
the jacket and /or an undesirable or un intended increase
in flexural capacity.

 25mm (1 inch) fill with cementation s grout

Gap between steel jacket and
concrete column
Size of anchor bolts  25mm (1 inch) in diameter and 300mm (12”) long
embedded in 200mm (8”) into concrete column

 Blots were installed through pre-drilled holes on steel

jacket using an epoxy adhesive.
Number of anchor bolts

 Two anchor bolts are intended to stiffen the steel jacket

and improve confinement of the splice

b) Jacketing of beams:-

Jacketing beam is recommended for several purposes as it gives continuity to the columns and
increases the strength and stiffness of the structure. While jacketing the beam it flexural
resistance must be carefully computed in order to avoid the creation of strong beam–weak
column system. Due to column jacketing there may be change in mode failure and redistribution

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of forces which causes beam hinging, so the critical section of the beam and the participation of
the existing reinforcement should be taken into consideration. Jacketing of beam is carried out in
various ways 3 or 4-sided jackets.

Jacketing of the beam is for the whole length, and some times reinforcement are added to
increase its flexural capacity. Top bars crossing the orthogonal are put through holes and the
bottom bars are placed under the soffit of the existing beam, at each side of the existing column.
Beam transverse steel consist of a set of U-shaped ties fixed to the top jacket bars and inverted
U-shaped ties placed through perforation of the slab, closely spaced ties are placed near the joints
where plastic hinges are expected to occur.

DIFFERENT WAYS OF BEAM JACKETING

1. Existing beam

2. Steel clamp

3. Steel plate

4. Nut

5. Angle profile

6. welding

Improvement of shear strength using bars

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Reinforcement Detail of Beam Jackets (UNDP/UNIDO, 1983)

Minimum width of jacket  8cm if concrete cast in place or 4cm for shotcrete.
Longitudinal reinforcement  Percentage of the steel jacket should be limited to
50 of the total area of the composite section

 Ignore the effect of the existing shear reinforcement

Shear reinforcement
 New reinforcement should have 135 –degree hook
and at each corner of the tie there should be at least
one longitudinal bar

 The bar used for tie should have at least 8mm

diameter

 Multiple piece ties can be used, as discussed before

for columns

 Span/depth ratio
Depth of jacket beams  Storey height

 Ductile behaviour

(c)Jacketing of beam-column joint:-

It has recognized for some time that beam-column joints play a critical role in ensuring
reinforced concrete frame structures can resist design forces, particularly those induced by
earthquakes.  Decades of research at Universities worldwide have resulted in a better
understanding of beam-column joints and beam-column joints can now be designed with a high
degree of confidence in their ability to resist forces.  Unfortunately, design rules resulting from
this research often result in severe reinforcement congestion in beam-column joints. 
Under earthquake shaking the beam column joint are subjected to moments in same direction.
Under these moments the top bars are pulled in one direction and the bottom bars in opposite
direction. These forces are balanced by the bond stresses between concrete and steel, if this bond
is not strong enough and column is not large then there will be insufficient gripping and bars slip
inside the joint and losses its capacity to carry load. These problems are avoided by providing
large column size and closely spaced ties. But still it seems to be the weak portion during
earthquake, thus retrofitting methods are applied to resist seismic forces of this joints before or
after damage.

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TYPES OF BEAM-COLUMN JOINT

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Beam column joint can be

retrofitted by
reinforcement concrete
jacketing or FRP jacketing
or steel jacketing method
as mentioned before.

d) Strengthening of Individual Foundation:-

Strengthening of the foundation of the existing building to resist the seismic effect is known as
foundation retrofitting. Foundation retrofitting are required due to two problems:

1. The change of loads on the foundation by strengthening of the building.

2. The failure of foundation it self due to various reasons.

There may be uplift pressure, or rocking of the foundation which is undesirable for the
foundation.

 The retrofitting available for the foundation could be increasing the size of the
foundation, by reinforced concrete jacketing of the foundation as shown below in fig(1).
Also the foundation retrofitting can be done by bolting down the foundation to firm
concrete base as in fig (2) &(3). These are used to resist uplift and overturning. Hold-
downs are different from anchor bolts. They are much heftier bolts than anchor bolts
because they must resist pullout (vertical) forces. The idea here is to transfer forces of
the earthquake to the foundation. A building that's tied together and then attached firmly
to its foundation is a lot less likely to collapse or slides off its foundation. Base isolation
is also the most effective method of foundation retrofitting.
 The retrofitting option for pile foundation may consist in addition of piles and then
integrating these with existing piles by extending pile caps. Outline of seismic
retrofitting techniques for existing foundations are
 Micro pile Methods
 Screen pipe drain method
 Super Strengthening Pile Bents method. As shown below in fig (6) below

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(a) Beam and column

(b) Foundation

1. Existing foundation

2. Existing column

3. Reinforced jacket

4. Added concrete

5. Added
reinforcement
Fig (1).

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Fig (2)

Fig (3)

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5. Comparative Analysis of the Methods of Retrofitting:-

Effectiveness of different conventional methods of retrofitting are shown below in the chart.

Addition of shear walls and bracings shown in Fig. 1(a) is the most popular strengthening
method due to its effectiveness, relative ease, and lower overall project cost compared to column
and beam jacketing shown in Fig. 1(b) and (c), respectively. Relative effectiveness of various
wall and bracing configurations are compared in Fig. 1(a). From this figure, it is seen that post-
cast shear walls and steel braced frames are the most effective strengthening techniques.
Although the latter is more effective due to its much higher ductility, post-cast concrete shear
walls are the most commonly applied method due to their lower cost and familiarity of the
construction industry with the method. Design of additional shear walls is performed to resist a
major fraction of the lateral loads likely to act on the structure. This reduces the demand on the
beams and columns, hence increasing their safety. Those still likely to be overstressed are
strengthened through concrete or steel jacketing, which are relatively more laborious
applications. Fig. 2 shows applications of various conventional strengthening methods such as
post-cast shear wall (a), additional foundation to support the shear walls to be constructed around
the stairs (b), concrete jacketing of a column (c), and addition of column members to remedy
vertical irregularities (d). The main research need associated with conventional strengthening
methods is optimization of the retrofit design to achieve a satisfactory structural performance
level at a minimum cost based on reliably characterized seismic demand and structural capacity.

Retrofit of Structures Using Innovative Materials Current research on advanced materials in civil
engineering is mainly concentrated on high performance concrete and steel, and fiber reinforced

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plastic (FRP) composites. FRP composite materials have experienced a continuous increase of
use in structural applications. In general, applications that allow complete wrapping of the
member with FRP have proven to be effective. Wrapping of columns to increase their load and
deformation capacity is the most effective and most commonly used method of retrofitting with
composites. strengthening and repair applications around the world in the last fifteen years. High
specific stiffness and light weight combined with superior environmental durability of these
materials have made them a competing alternative to the conventional strengthening methods. It
was shown through experimental and analytical studies that externally bonded FRP composites
can be applied to various structural members including columns, beams, slabs, and walls to
improve their structural performance such as stiffness, load carrying capacity, and ductility
(Büyüköztürk and Hearing, 1998). FRP composites have enjoyed varying degrees of success in
different types of applications.

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Fig -2 Effects of various retrofit methods on structural performance

The typical effect of conventional strengthening methods is shown in fig-2 (a). Conventional
strengthening applications generally lead to an increase in both the stiffness and the lateral load
capacity of the structure. This is shown by the capacity curve of the strengthened structure, Cs,
which has a higher slope and peak compared to the capacity curve before strengthening, Cu. Due
to the increased stiffness, which translates into a decreased fundamental period, the seismic
demand on the structure is also increased, as shown by the demand curve for the strengthened
structure, Ds, compared to that for the unstrengthened structure, Du. Although the capacity
increase is partly alleviated by the increase in seismic demand, the overall performance of the
structure is improved as shown by the locations of the performance points on the spectral
displacement axis for before and after strengthening.
Increasing the overall deformation capacity of a structure is also an effective seismic retrofitting
method. Insufficient deformation capacity of structural members is usually caused by their
inadequate seismic detailing. Ductility of these members can be increased through various
measures such as providing additional confinement by additional stirrups or wrapping with FRP
composites. Fig.2 (b) shows the effect of deformation or ductility enhancement on the structural
performance. While the capacity curve of the structure prior to retrofitting does not intersect the
demand curve, an intersection i.e. a performance point is obtained after retrofitting. It is
important to note that since the stiffness and damping characteristics of the structure are not
significantly altered, the demand curve remains essentially the same after retrofitting.
The effectiveness of seismic base isolation in increasing the structural performance during
seismic events is shown in Fig.2 (c). Base isolation significantly increases the effective
fundamental period and deformation capacity of the structure. This is apparent from the capacity
curve of the base isolated structure, Cs, shown in Fig.2 (c). It seems somewhat contradictory,
however, that the demand curve for the base isolated structure, Ds, is shown as higher than the
fixed-base condition, Du, since base isolation is known to decrease the seismic demand on the
structure. This is due to the fact that the energy dissipation in a base isolated structure is
significantly different than the same structure in fixed-base condition. Due to relatively lower
stiffness of the isolation system, the effective damping for a certain spectral displacement is
lower in the base isolated structure, resulting in a higher apparent seismic demand. However,
since the deformation capacity of the structure is significantly increased, a major portion of
which takes place at the isolation level, the building can safely tolerate this apparent increase
in the seismic demand, resulting in a satisfactory performance level. Seismic retrofitting of
structures using energy dissipation devices such as those shown in Fig. 3(pg-9) result in an
increase in the stiffness, load capacity, and effective damping of the structures. Effects of these
on the structural performance are shown in Fig.2 (d). As can be seen from the figure, the effect
of energy dissipation devices on the capacity curve is similar to structural strengthening with
conventional methods shown in Fig.2 (a). Additional advantage of using energy dissipation
devices is that the seismic demand on the structure is also reduced due to increase in the effective
damping of the structure. Comparing the seismic demand curves before (Du) and after (Ds)
retrofitting in Fig.2 (a) and (d), it is apparent that use of energy dissipation devices results in a
more desired performance level compared to conventional strengthening methods. Selection of a
particular retrofitting technique depends on the seismic demand, structural capacity, the required

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performance level, functional characteristics and the importance of the structure. The main
challenge is to achieve a desired performance level at a minimum cost, which can best be
achieved through a detailed nonlinear analysis and the above discussions.

6. Factors Affecting retrofitting of RC buildings:-

Retrofitting of the reinforced concrete building in general depends upon following:

1. Technical consideration: - The adoption of the retrofitting method mentioned above

depends upon the technology available and feasible at the site and its economy. Also
technical people or workers available.
2. Cost benefit ratio: - Adoption of the methods depends upon the cost and its benefit ratio,
for example for a commercial building may adopt costly and more durable method with
modern technology as it should serve a huge mass of population. Where as for a simple
residential building simple and low cost retrofitting method may be adopted. It is
suggested that cost of retrofitting of a structure should remain below 25% of the
replacement.
3. Load on the structure: - The method of retrofitting depends upon the horizontal and
vertical load resisting system of the structure.
4. Materials: - it also depends upon the materials used in the prior construction. If its
adaptable as per code then there is no need to add extra strengthening techniques.
5. Design aspect: - For a seismic resistance building it is always recommended to adopt
weak beam-strong column design aspect. But if it is not so than to make building ductile,
we have to adopt appropriate method of retrofitting which helps to make building ductile.
6. Mode of failure: - There are different modes of failure for RC buildings. e.g: X-type
failure, etc. thus appropriate method of retrofitting is used depending upon the mode of
failure.

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7. Conclusion:-
As hazards like earthquake, etc are unpredictable, so we as an engineer should always be alert.
Thus remodeling of the structures by seismic retrofitting is an appropriate method to go with as
design alone cannot give an efficient safety results. “We can design and built seismic resistance
building but not seismic proof buildings”. So depending upon the factors affecting retrofitting we
have to choose the appropriate methods for retrofitting buildings. “ As prevention is always
better than cure”.

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