Engineering Commons^™

Flexural Behaviour Of Reinforced Concrete Elements Retrofitted Using External Unbonded Superelastic Shape Memory Alloy Bars, Yamen Ibrahim Elbahy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Steel reinforced concrete (RC) framed structures are seismically designed for safety, where the earthquake energy is dissipated through yielding of the steel bars. During strong earthquakes, high inelastic deformations are allowed to take place. This allowance results in significant residual deformations. Thus, following an earthquake, the structure might be deemed irreparable, requiring its demolishing and replacement. If the frame can be designed to regain its original shape following an earthquake, then the structure will be repairable. This kind of design can be achieved by using smart materials such as Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs).

SMAs have unique properties, which make them …