SEISMIC RETROFITTING OF PRECAST INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS THROUGH ENERGY DISSIPATION DEVICES

Seismic retrofitting strategies encompassing the use of dissipation devices can effectively yield a performance enhancement and an extension of the nominal service life of reinforced concrete precast industrial buildings. This work investigates the behaviour of two energy dissipation devices designed for retrofit of precast buildings, namely a friction rotation damper for beam-to-column connections and a bracing system with dissipative sacrificial elements, with the aim of testing their effectiveness in improving the seismic response of this construction system. The advantages deriving from the use of such devices, which are typically coupled with elements preventing joint sliding, include the reduction of global lateral displacements and resisting forces in the main structural elements, the increase of the building's lateral strength, as well as their replaceability after a seismic event. Considering a single-storey industrial building as a case study, a comparative analysis of the seismic response of the structure before and after the retrofit with the two proposed devices was undertaken. Two three-dimensional numerical models of the building, with and without the retrofit, were created in OpenSees and first subjected to nonlinear static (pushover) analyses in both the main directions. Then, a number of nonlinear dynamic analyses were carried out at increasing seismic intensity levels, within a multiple-stripe analysis framework. With reference to two limit states, the obtained results provided reassurance on the efficacy of the proposed solutions in improving the seismic performance of existing and new precast industrial buildings.