• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.345-367
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• 2015

Past earthquakes have signaled the increased collapse vulnerability of mainshock-damaged bridge piers and urgent need of repair interventions prior to subsequent cascading hazard events, such as aftershocks, triggered by the mainshock (MS). The overarching goal of this study is to quantify the collapse vulnerability of mainshock-damaged substandard RC bridge piers rehabilitated with different repair jackets (FRP, conventional thick steel and hybrid jacket) under aftershock (AS) attacks of various intensities. The efficacy of repair jackets on post-MS resilience of repaired bridges is quantified for a prototype two-span single-column bridge bent with lap-splice deficiency at column-footing interface. Extensive number of incremental dynamic time history analyses on numerical finite element bridge models with deteriorating properties under back-to-back MS-AS sequences were utilized to evaluate the efficacy of different repair jackets on the post-repair behavior of RC bridges subjected to AS attacks. Results indicate the dramatic impact of repair jacket application on post-MS resilience of damaged bridge piers-up to 45.5 % increase of structural collapse capacity-subjected to aftershocks of multiple intensities. Besides, the efficacy of repair jackets is found to be proportionate to the intensity of AS attacks. Moreover, the steel jacket exhibited to be the most vulnerable repair intervention compared to CFRP, irrespective of the seismic sequence (severe MS-severe or moderate AS) or earthquake type (near-fault or far-fault).

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.323-338
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• 2014

In this study a new innovative method of earthquake-resistant strengthening of reinforced concrete structures is presented for the first time. Strengthening according to this new method consists of the construction of steel fiber ultra-high-strength concrete jackets without conventional reinforcement which is usually applied in the construction of conventional reinforced concrete jackets. An innovative solution is proposed also for the first time that ensures a satisfactory seismic performance of existing reinforced concrete structures, strengthened by using composite materials. The weak point of the use of such materials in repairing and strengthening of old R/C structures is the area of beam-column joints. According to the proposed solution, the joints can be strengthened with a steel fiber ultra-high-strength concrete jacket, while strengthening of columns can be achieved by using CFRPs. The experimental results showed that the performance of the subassemblage strengthened with the proposed mixed solution was much better than that of the subassemblage retrofitted completely with CFRPs.