The project titled “Seismic Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete Shears in Existing Buildings Designed and Constructed Before Current Regulations” conducted by Yusuf Şahinkaya, Research Assistant at the Civil Engineering Department of the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences of our University, was entitled to be supported within the scope of TÜBİTAK 1002 in 2018 and the studies are continued. The project is carried out by IMU in cooperation with Istanbul Technical University, Boğaziçi University and DowAksa Advanced Composite Materials Ind.Co Ltd.
When the effects of previous earthquakes in our country on the existing reinforced concrete shear walls are examined; It is known that these elements have suffered serious damage due to inadequacies in design, detailing, inspection, and construction. It is clear that many structures are approaching the end of their service life and thus additional deterioration (corrosion, etc.) in structural elements will increase the expected damage level under seismic effects. Therefore, it may be necessary to strengthen such weak shear walls in existing structures.
The aim of the project is to investigate the damage caused by the critical weaknesses observed in this type of curtain samples and the effects of these weaknesses on the behavior, to eliminate these weaknesses and improve the curtain behavior with fibrous polymer (LP) materials. The project basically consisted of two parts, experimental and analytical. In the experimental part of the project, the performance of the reinforced concrete shear walls, which represent the geometric, material and reinforcement details of the existing reinforced concrete shear walls, which were designed and built before the current regulations in our country, were investigated under the effect of axial and cyclic horizontal load after reinforcement with fibrous polymer material.
In the analytical part of the project, it was planned to compare the experimental results with the Finite Element Analysis results. After the effectiveness of the applied reinforcement method was verified by experimental and analytical methods, it was aimed to propose the design principles and application details of relatively simple and practical reinforcement methods that can improve the seismic performance of such weak shear walls. It was expected that the results and the proposed methods would be beneficial for the sustainability of building design. The research results will contribute to building sustainable and resilient buildings in Turkey and countries with similar building stock and thus reduce disaster risks in terms of loss of life and property in the face of potential earthquakes.
We congratulate our academic staff member and wish him success for this project, which can make a significant contribution to the welfare of the society and national economy.
