Retrofitting of short columns in RC frames with sifcon panels

Damages in buildings as a result of major earthquakes in our country are analyzed and damage types are similar. One of them is the damage caused by the short column effects. It is possible to take precautions during the production phase for column lengths that are expected to form short columns. However, band windows opened especially in the ground and basement floors in completed buildings, clerestory that were not foreseen during the project phase, stair landings supported on the column, rigid flooring and beams, and the column lengths are different from the project design, causing shear stresses on the decreasing column length to increase. In the areas where these increased shear stresses are present in the columns, serious damages such as shear damages can be seen in the case of insufficient detailing in the design. With this study, a new retrofitting method has been tried against possible short column shear damages in columns. For this purpose, 14 reinforced concrete frames with 1/3 geometric scale, whose ground floor height is higher than the normal floor and whose ground floor infill wall lengths are different from each other, were produced to represent the building stock in our country. 5 of these frames were produced as reference samples, and in 9 samples, reinforced concrete frame short columns were retrofitted with various panel types obtained by using a special ultra-performance concrete SIFCON (Slurry Infiltrated Fiber Concrete). All test elements were subjected to reversible and repeated horizontal loading, which is simulated to earthquake load in the laboratory. According to the data obtained, it was observed that S3 type panels placed as a whole on all surfaces of the frame area where brick infill walls were not built on the lower floor prevented the damages due to the short column behaviour.