Structural Behavior of a Retrofitted Reinforced Concrete Building During a Near-Fault Earthquake

Structural Behavior of a Retrofitted Reinforced Concrete Building During a Near-Fault Earthquake

The near-fault effect on buildings is a significant issue in Taiwan due to its numerous active faults. The special near-fault characteristics of large displacement and high velocity can be observed, however, it is difficult to reproduce the near-fault earthquake record using the existing test facilities of the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering. Thus, experimental studies on the near-fault effect are rare. Many buildings, including some mid-to high-rise buildings, were severely damaged in recent earthquake events, which caused numerous casualties. In Taiwan, more and more mix-use residential and commercial buildings have been constructed due to the population density. Thus, the casualty risk caused by the collapse of these buildings should not be underestimated. The method of seismic assessment to identify buildings with a high risk of collapsing has become a critical issue. A high-performance seismic simulation testing system that can simulate the near-fault motions has been established in the NCREE Tainan Laboratory. After the NCREE Tainan Laboratory was completed. NCREE provided better seismic experimental services to government agencies, academia, and industry, which is beneficial to improving public safety against earthquake disasters. This study is based on the experimental results of retrofitted reinforced concrete (RC) structure tests using the novel shaking table system. The experimental results were compared with a non-retrofitted model in order to verify benefits of retrofitting. This experiment can offer abundant information on RC frames and the response of retrofitting members to near-fault earthquakes.