STRUCTURAL MEASURES

1. Retrofitting

Retrofitting means scientifically preparing a structure or building so that all building

elements act as an integral unit.

It is generally the fastest and most economical way to achieve the safety of the building. The
following are some of the methods for retrofitting: -

1. Anchor roof truss to walls with brackets.

2. Provide bracing at the level of purlins and bottom chord members of trusses.

3. Gable wall is strengthened by inserting a sloping belt on the gable wall.

4. Strengthen corners with seismic belts.

5. Anchor floor joints to walls with brackets.

6. Improve story connections by providing vertical reinforcement.

7. Introduce tensile strength against vertical bending of walls by providing vertical

reinforcement at all inside and outside corners.

8. Encase wall openings with reinforcement.

Adding New Shear Walls:

 Frequently used for retrofitting of non-ductile reinforced concrete frame buildings.

 The added elements can be either cast-in-place or precast concrete elements.
 New elements preferably be placed at the exterior of the building.
 Not preferred in the interior of the structure to avoid interior mouldings.
Adding Steel Bracings

 An effective solution when large openings are required.

 Potential advantages due to higher strength and stiffness, opening for natural light can
be provided, amount of work is less since foundation cost may be minimized and adds
much less weight to the existing structure

2. Jacketing (Local Retrofitting Technique):

This is the most popular method for strengthening of building columns.

Types of Jacketing:

1. Steel jacket,
2. Reinforced Concrete jacket,
3. Fibre reinforced polymer concrete (FRPC) jacket

Purpose for jacketing:

 To increase concrete confinement

 To increase shear strength
 To increase Flexural strength
 3. Base Isolation

This idea behind isolation is to detach (isolate) the building from the ground, so that
earthquake motions are not transmitted through the building or at least greatly reduced.

The concept of base isolation is explained through an example of a building resting on a

roller.

When the ground shakes, the roller freely rolls, but the building above does not move.

If the gap between the building and the vertical wall of the foundation pit is small, the vertical
wall of the pit may hit the wall. Hence 100% frictionless rollers are not provided in practice.

The building is rested on flexible pads, which offer resistance. This helps in reducing some
effects of ground shaking on the building.

The flexible pads are called base-isolator, whereas the structures constructed utilizing these
devices are called base-isolated buildings.
 

4. Prestressing

A horizontal compression state induced by horizontal tendons can be used to increase the
shear strength of walls. Moreover, this will also improve, considerably, the connections of
orthogonal walls (see Fig. 11). The easiest way of affecting the pre-compression is to place
two steel rods on the two sides of the wall and stretching them by turnbuckles. Note that,
good effects can be obtained by slight horizontal prestressing (about 0.1 MPa) on the vertical
section of the wall. Prestressing is also useful to strengthen spandrel beam between two rows
of openings in the case no rigid slab exists. Opposite parallel walls can be held to internal
cross walls by prestressing bars as illustrated above the anchoring being done against
horizontal steel channels instead of small steel plates. The steel channels running from one
cross wall to the other will hold the walls together and improve the integral box like action of
the walls.
 5. Masonry Arches
If the walls have large arched openings in them, it will be necessary to install tie rods across
them at springing levels or slightly above it by drilling holes on both sides and grouting steel
rods in them (see Fig. 13a). Alternatively, a lintel consisting of steel channels or I-shapes
could be inserted just above the arch to take the load and relieve the arch as shown at Fig.
13b. In jack-arch roofs, flat iron bars or rods shall be provided to connect the bottom flanges
of I-beams connected by bolting or welding (see Fig. 13c).
 6. Indian Standard Codes for Earthquake Design of Structures:

 IS: 1893-2002 (part-1) Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures (Part 1:
General Provision and Buildings) - Code of Practice
 IS: 4326-1993 Earthquake Resistant Design and Construction of Buildings – Code of
Practice
 IS: 13920-1993 Ductile Detailing of Reinforced Concrete Structures subjected to
Seismic Forces – Code of Practice
 IS: 13935-1993 Repair and Seismic Strengthening of Buildings – Guidelines
 IS: 13828-1993 Improving Earthquake Resistance of Low Strength Masonry
Buildings – Guidelines
IS: 13827-1993 Improving Earthquake Resistance of Earthen Buildings – Guidelines