Seismic assessment and retrofit of a concrete building highly damaged by reinforcement corrosion

Abstract

In existing concrete structures damaged by corrosion, the limited quantity and poor distribution of reinforcements as well as a lack of seismic details are common to many cases because they are built before the advent of seismic codes. In this paper the seismic assessment and retrofit of a concrete building sited in Sicily is presented in order to show a case-study of a corroded reinforced concrete structure to be trans-formed with new structural elements for functional reasons linked to Civil Protection. After many decades of complete abandonment, the structure was strengthened with different strategies, allied to the construction of new steel-concrete composite floors: concrete and steel jackets, CFRP wrapping, etc. The role of joints in concrete frames is underlined and the results of the seismic assessment and retrofit intervention are shown for the case-study.