Seismic Resilience Upgrade of RC Frame Building Using Self-Centering Concrete Walls with Distributed Friction Devices

Abstract

This paper presents the seismic upgrade of existing frame structures by using the self-centering (SC) concrete wall with friction dampers. Working principle, numerical simulation, and design procedure of the upgrade system are introduced, and application was made in the seismic resilience upgrade of a five-story reinforced concrete (RC) frame building located in a high-seismicity area in China. The original building, as a corridor, connects two adjacent buildings and was evaluated as seismically deficient. Three posttensioned concrete walls with friction devices were therefore used to provide self-centering capacity and supplemental energy dissipation. In situ vibration tests were conducted to obtain dynamic properties of the rehabilitated structure and to validate the numerical model. Dynamic nonlinear analyses of original and upgraded buildings subjected to the design-basis earthquake (DBE) and the maximum considered earthquake (MCE) are conducted, which confirm the design objectives and improved seismic resilience of the upgraded system. In addition, by controlling the deformation pattern of the frame, the weak story failure might be avoided.