Experimental Investigation on the Seismic Retrofit of Existing Reinforced Concrete Buildings Using Steel Plate Shear Walls

This study investigates a seismic retrofit method for existing reinforced concrete (RC) frame by using steel plate shear wall (SPSW). The SPSW resists the lateral forces primarily through the tension field action of the slender infill panel. In order to minimize the interruptions to the use of the existing buildings during the retrofit, all the components in the proposed SPSW are connected by bolts. All the components are so light weight that can be transported conveniently within the existing building before assembling. The connections between the SPSW and RC frame are made by post-installed adhesive anchors. Cyclic tests of two full-scale one-story one-bay RC frames retrofitted using the proposed SPSWs were conducted. Test results demonstrate that the retrofitted RC frames possess a lateral load-carrying capacity approximately 4∼5 times greater than that of the bare RC frame and perform in a satisfactorily ductile manner.