• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.297-306
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• 2019

The extension of existing RC buildings is a challenging process, which requires efficient connection between existing and new materials to guarantee load transferring between the lap-spliced longitudinal columns' reinforcement. Therefore, the length of the columns' starter bars is a crucial factor, which decisively affects the seismic response of the new columns. In particular, when the length of the starter bars is short, then the length of the lap splices of reinforcement is inadequate to ensure load transfer between steel bars and concrete, with an indisputable detrimental impact on the seismic behaviour of the columns. Moreover, in most of the existing RC buildings the column starter bars are of particularly short length, while they have probably been bent, cut or corroded. In the present study, the effectiveness of both welded rebar and mechanical splices of reinforcement in ensuring load transferring between the starter bars and the longitudinal reinforcement of the new column was experimentally evaluated. Four cantilever column subassemblages were constructed and subjected to earthquake-type loading. Three of the specimens were used to examine different types of shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), while in the fourth subassemblage mechanical splices were tested. The hysteretic response of the columns was evaluated and compared to the behaviour of a fifth specimen with continuous reinforcement, tested by Kalogeropoulos and Tsonos (2019). Test results clearly demonstrated that the examined types of SMAW were equally satisfactory in ensuring the ductile seismic performance of the columns, while the mechanical splices found to be more susceptible to exhibit slipping of the bars.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.37-46
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• 2009

In this study, the seismic performance of the Buckling Restrained Knee Bracing (BRKB) system was evaluated through a pin-connected 1-bay 1-story frame. The BRKB system using a bolted channel section developed was composed of a steel plate as a load-resisting core member and two channel sections as a restrainment of the local and global buckling of the core plate. The main purpose of the BRKB system is to be used as an effective tool to re-strengthen/rehabilitate old low- and mid-rise RC frame buildings, which do not have enough seismic resistance to earthquake loadings. The main variables for the test specimens were the size of the core plates, stiffeners and the use of guide plates. The test results showed that the size of the core plate, which was the main element for the load-resisting member, was the most important parameter to achieve ductile behavior under tension as well as compression, until the maximum displacement exceed twice the design drift limit given by the AISC Seismic Provisions.