Seismic Retrofitting of Reinforced Concrete Buildings

Dr. Ing., Adil Zekaria

Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering Department

Addis Ababa University

Experiences from recent earthquakes have demonstrated the need for seismic retrofitting of old buildings and bridges to increase their ductility and strength. Different retrofitting methods were proposed in the last three decades to apply to both pre-earthquake strengthening and post-earthquake repairing. These techniques include the use of infill walls, side walls and braces to the existing moment resisting frames, and jacketing frame members so that the lateral resistance and ductility may be increased. An overview of the different techniques will be presented and the resulting improved seismic performance of the retrofitted sections will be discussed.