Performance assessment of a reinforced concrete frame retrofitted with fiber reinforced polymer sheets

In new construction or retrofitting of existing structures, fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have gain substantial worldwide interest over the past few decades. In this study, the effectiveness of using FRP composites to enhance the seismic performance of a 5 story reinforced concrete frame was investigated. For this, a gravity load designed bare frame was chosen as a case study. To upgrade the performance of the structure, glass FRP sheets were applied with the aim of increasing the capacity of the beams and columns. The FRP sheets utilized in this study have a tensile strength of 3241 MPa and thickness of 0.589 mm per layer. They were applied at the end regions of all beams and columns for increasing lateral load resistance of the bare frame. The performances of the structure with and without FRP application were examined through nonlinear static and nonlinear dynamic analysis. The capacity curves in terms of acceleration displacement response spectra (ADRS) format and modified ADRS demand plots (MADRS) for a demand earthquake with base accelerations of 0.25g, 0.30g, and 0.35g were studied. Additionally, the variation of maximum inter-story drift ratio, story displacement, drift time history, and plastifications were evaluated comparatively by using earthquake motions.