Seismic Retrofitting RC Structures with Precast Prestressed Concrete Braces- ABAQUS FEA Modeling

Precast prestreesed concrete braces are a new method for seismic strength of Concrete Structures which has the following benefits: a) no wet concrete work in construction site b) No bolt or anchorage to the existing frame c) easy to apply d) short construction period e) low construction cost, to evaluate seismic performance of strengthened structure a model consist of existing frame and concrete braces were created using ABAQUS (nonlinear-finite element) software.Comparison existing and strengthened frame showed that braces are effective in lateral drift decreasing.Study concrete compressive strength on seismic behavior of brace showed that when compression strength of brace is lower than existing frame, retrofitting system has low stiffness and wasn’t effective in reducing lateral drift, but in specimen with compressive strength ratio (brace to frame) two times or more, braces showed high strength and stiffness.