Numerical Study on Steel Jacketing Retrofitting Scheme for Experimentally Damaged Reinforced Concrete Frames Subjected to Lateral Loads

This paper aims at proposing a steel jacketing retrofitting scheme for severely damaged reinforced concrete frame. An experimental study conducted under slow cyclic displacement-controlled loading on a full-scale model of reinforced concrete (RC) frame has been adopted for this purpose. The reinforcement detailing of the frame was given according to IS 456:2000, i.e., without any ductile detailing. The tested frame suffered severe damages due to the formation of shear cracks and plastic hinges at the beam-column joint and at the column ends, respectively. A steel jacketing retrofitting scheme has been recommended and studied here for retrofitting the damaged frame. The retrofitting scheme basically focuses on the improvement of lateral strength and lateral stiffness of the frame with varying thickness of the steel plates along with their location to be applied to the RC frame. The results obtained from the numerical study clearly show the contribution of steel jacketing in regaining and improving the lateral strength and lateral stiffness of the frame.