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Seismic Performance Of Reinforced Concrete Frames Retrofitted Using External Superelastic Shape Memory Alloy Bars, Yamen Ibrahim Elbahy, Maged A. Youssef, Mohamed E. Meshaly

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

Pre-1970s designed and built reinforced concrete frame structures are considered unsafe when subjected to seismic loads. Insufficient anchorage of the beam reinforcement in the beam-column joints of these structures is considered a main deficiency. Newly built frame structures are seismically designed for safety, where high inelastic deformations can occur under moderate to strong earthquakes. Minimizing these inelastic deformations makes the structure repairable. One way to minimize these residual deformations is by using smart materials such as superelastic shape memory alloys (SMAs). In this paper, the seismic performance of RC frames retrofitted using external superelastic SMA bars is investigated and compared …