Seismic retrofit of RC frames

The main purpose of this paper is to present the numerical simulation of different strategies for the seismic retrofit of reinforced concrete frames, comparing the obtained solutions with the experimental results, and evaluating benefits concerning their structural behaviour under the seismic action. This work is based on the study of a RC frame, representative of the typical construction of the 70s, which has been submitted to real scale experimental tests at the Elsa Laboratory in Italy, involving the use of some retrofitting techniques. The numerical simulation of such tests, as well as the application of a non-linear dynamic analysis methodology to evaluate the structural behaviour and the structural safety improvement of the various retrofit techniques adopted, is presented. The aim is, therefore, to contribute for developing and calibrating a procedure that enables the evaluation of the efficiency of the different retrofit solutions, their possibilities and fields of application.