Seismic retrofit of old school buildings using friction dampers

Abstract

Many old RC reinforced concrete (RC) buildings exist in seismically active areas. Such buildings are generally known to have poor seismic reinforcement details which could lead to significant damage or even collapse during large earthquakes. To complement such buildings with satisfactory seismic performance, a friction damping system can be used. In this study, seismic performance of old RC building is assessed numerically. The considered model follows the vulnerable reinforcement details of old RC buildings. The numerical analysis results showed that the old RC buildings with friction dampers (Frame–R) had better seismic performance than the bare buildings (Frame–B) for 14% and 40% in static and dynamic analysis, respectively.