Learning from Earthquakes

to Improve
Rehabilitation of Reinforced
Concrete Buildings
James O. Jirsa
The University of Texas at Austin
Objectives of NATO SfP977231

• Seismic evaluation and retrofitting of

existing buildings in Turkey and
Greece.
• Transfer, adapt, and implement
and/or develop innovative
technologies and methodologies for
both countries.
Requirements for rehabilitation to
be implemented
• Demand/need for rehabilitation
• Availability of techniques that are
–Constructible
–Cost-effective
–Convincing
Buildings in Turkey
Buildings in Mexico City
Approaches for reaching objective
• Reconnaissance studies after recent
earthquakes
– Little documentation of performance of
rehabilitated buildings
• Field experience—applicable to typical
buildings in region
– Mexico City after 1984
• Experimental studies
– NATO Project
– Other reports in this Workshop
• Demonstration projects
Widespread
damage to
concrete
construction

• Waffle slab
systems
• Column
failures
• Reinforcement
details
• Infill walls
Experience
Reconnaissance
studies

Codes & Documentation

Standards

Design Analytical
guidelines studies

Experimental
studies Shortcut
Demonstration projects
• New approaches must be “sold” to
potential users
• Implementation depends on the user’s
perception of technique
• Seeing is “believing”
• Field application and demonstration
projects may be most convincing
• Education of owners and engineers
Mexico City after 1985
• Characteristics of damage
– Lake bed zone—foundation limitations
– Construction types
• Rehabilitation activities
– Affected zone was a “laboratory” for rehab
• Documentation
– NSF/CONACyT Workshop
• Case study
– Cable-bracing techniques
Mode of Failure Observed % of cases
Shear, compression, or other failure 43
of columns
Shear in beams 9
Shear in waffle slabs 9
Flexure in beams 2
Beam-column joints 8
Shear walls, shear or bending 1.5
Other modes 7
Could not be identified 25
Damage statistics
120
Severe
100 Collapse
80
No. of
60
Buildings
40

20

0
RC Steel Waffle Bldgs Masonry
Frames Frames Slabs w/Shear
walls
Damage/height of buildings
120
Severe
100 Collapse
80
No. of
60
Buildings
40
20

0
<5 6 to 10 11 to 15 >15
No. of Stories
Following the earthquake
• Owners and occupants were concerned
about potential hazards in future events
• Buildings needed by users
• Repair and strengthening proceeded with
very few design guidelines or standards
for construction in place
• Engineers met challenge with creative
solutions
 Rehab prior to 1985
• Some buildings repaired following
earthquakes in 1957 and 1979
• Almost no information available about
those buildings
• Exception--Two buildings strengthened
before 1985 performed well and were
extensively studied after the earthquake
Building braced
pre-1985

Foundation
effects
1989 Workshop
• Site visits to buildings under rehab
• Discussions with engineers in charge
of rehabilitation design and
construction
• Review of approval process for rehab
projects
• Participants defined the need to
document rehab work
Beam and column jacketing
New bracing
systems
New walls
Mixed systems
Removal of top stories
Rehabilitation of Existing Reinforced Concrete
Buildings in Mexico City: Case Studies
 Case study: Layout of building
BUILDING PLAN
Stairway Stairway

A C2 C4 C7 C6 C6 C6 C6 C6 C6 C6 C6 C7
C7 C7
C4 C2
8.00

B C3 C8 C5 C5 C5 C5 C5 C5 C5 C5 C1
C9 C5 C5 C3
3.75 C8
30 for h=100 cm.
25 for h=85 cm.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

(meters) ELEVATION LINE A

TYPE 1 TYPE 2 TYPE 3

13 @ 7.20 m.
3.50 3.50 TYPE 4 TYPE 5 TYPE 6

ELEVATION LINE B MAIN BARS

ADDITIONAL #4 BARS
Cable
braces

NEW STEEL BEAMS CABLE BRACING NEW STEEL BEAMS

Details
EXISTING COLUMN

CABLE CABLE

A A

′
WAFFLE SLAB
(SOLID ZONE AROUND
COLUMN) DETAIL A
EXISTING COLUMN
SLAB ZONE TO BE REINFORCEMENT
DEMOLISHED

INTERIOR CABLES CABLE ANCHOR MECHANISM

NEW CONCRETE

fc′ = 5000 psi

STEEL PLATE
6-IN. X 6-IN. X 12-IN.

DETAIL A
EXTERIOR CABLES

SECTION A-A
 Additional
Modifications

Column
Compression

Continuity of
horizontal elements
Computed response
Cable
bracing for
2-story
school
Anchorage and cable details
Cable bracing for 12-story steel frame
 Concluding remarks
• Future actions to improve “learning
from earthquakes”
–Documentation of rehabilitation
projects for evaluation of
performance in future earthquakes.
–Instrumentation of buildings to
enable more detailed evaluation of
performance.
• Challenges
–Focus efforts on areas where need is
greatest
• Marginal residential construction
• Determination and enforcement of
minimum requirements
–Maintain and create interest in
earthquake mitigation
• Competition with other political and
social exigencies
• No well-defined industry to pressure
policy makers