Earthquake performance of FRP retrofitting of short columns around band-type windows

Abstract

Due to design codes and regulations and the variety of building plans in Turkey, it is very often seen that band-type windows are left for ventilation and lightening of the basements of buildings which are used for various purposes such as workplaces and storage. Therefore when the necessary support measures cannot be given, short columns are subjected to very high shear forces and so damage occurs. One of the precautions to avoid the damage of short column mechanisms in buildings where band-type windows are in the basement is to strengthen the short columns with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP). In this study, the effect of the FRP retrofitting process of the short columns around band-windowed structures, which are found especially in basement areas, is analyzed in accordance with Turkish Seismic Code 2007 (TSC 2007). Three different models which are bare frame, frame with short columns and retrofitted short columns with FRP, are created and analyzed according to TSC 2007 performance analysis methods to understand the effects of band windows in basements and the effect of FRP retrofitting.