Light FRP Strengthening of Poorly Detailed Reinforced Concrete Exterior Beam–Column Joints
Maria Teresa De Risi, Ciro Del Vecchio, Paolo Ricci, Marco Di Ludovico, Andrea Prota, Gerardo Mario Verderame
Abstract
Experiments have demonstrated the effectiveness of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials for the seismic strengthening of deficient reinforced concrete (RC) beam–column joints. However, only a few studies have focused on the seismic response of joint subassemblies that are designed to withstand moderate seismic actions where a strong column–weak beam mechanism is expected. In these circumstances, the high strain demand on the beam's plastic hinge may be critical for existing FRP-strengthening layouts. The present work analyzes the results of three experiments on full-scale, poorly detailed RC beam–column joints, with a strong column–weak beam hierarchy tested in the as-built and FRP-strengthened configurations. The proposed FRP-strengthening layouts are designed according to the recent trend of minimizing the level of disruption caused by their application. Accordingly, light FRP-strengthening solutions that are applied to the joint panel wholly from the exterior of a building or have a minimum impact on its downtime are tested and their performance is analyzed in terms of the global and local response.