Full-scale tests on a RC building retrofitted by means of metal shear panels: comparison among proposed solutions

摘要

The seismic upgrading of existing reinforced concrete structures by means of innovative solutions based on metal devices is presented in this paper with reference to the use of both steel and pure aluminium shear panels. Based on a preliminarily experimental evaluation of the performance of the bare RC structure, an ad hoc-design procedure has been developed in the framework of the performance based design methodology. The panel configuration has been firstly defined according to simplified analytical relationships and then checked by using refined FEM models. Finally, the effectiveness of the applied devices has been proved by the execution of full-scale experimental tests, which confirmed that steel panels can be profitably used as lateral load resisting system, whereas aluminium shear panels are also suitable for improving the dissipative features of the original structure.