An update of innovative retrofitting techniques for R/C and masonry building: from experimental investigations to practical applications

Traditional approaches for the seismic retrofit of existing buildings consider the following assumptions: (a) the building is not damaged after a minor earthquake, (b) the building is reparable after a moderate earthquake, and (c) the building will not have collapsed after a severe earthquake. In recent times, following several destructive earthquakes which have occurred in the past decades, the general public or building owners are no longer satisfied with the above performance objectives. In the last twenty years, several experimental investigations have been carried out by a research unit based at the University of Basilicata (UNIBAS), Potenza, Italy, in order to test the effectiveness of several innovative retrofitting techniques such as: (i) seismic isolation, (ii) energy dissipating bracing systems, (iii) an Active Confinement of Manufactured materials (CAM) strengthening system consisting of a three-dimensional tie system for the upgrading of existing structures and (iiib) Dis-CAM system (which is the CAM system with added energy dissipation). Different anti-seismic devices, based on currently available technologies or innovative systems also have been considered. In this paper an overview of recent developments, from both numerical simulations and experimental investigations performed by UNIBAS within several research projects, to their practical applications is reported.