Strengthening of reinforced concrete buildings damaged by corrosion to resist earthquakes, case study of the faculty of arts and humanities building at Tartous university.
Keywords:
seismic resistance strengthening, reinforced concrete columns strengthening, deterioration, corrosion, reinforced concrete jacket.Abstract
This case study discusses the structural performance of the Faculty of Arts building at Tartous University. This building suffered severe deterioration due to corrosion of steel reinforcement, especially in the external reinforced concrete columns. This was caused by the effect of the sea and direct exposure to carbonation and chlorides carried by the wind, leading to the spread of rust in the reinforcement bars and concrete cover spalling, with a complete absence of maintenance work over many years. The repair and strengthening process was carried out at the request of the owner (The University of Tartous) due to the critical condition affecting the safety of students and staff, to ensure the building could withstand various loads including traditional vertical and seismic loads. A specialized committee was assigned to prepare a study for strengthening the external columns with reinforced concrete jackets. The strengthening process included a set of steps such as temporarily supporting the building internally, then removing rust and spalled concrete cover from the deteriorated columns and lintels, installing steel anchors, and then casting reinforced concrete jackets.
After completing the fieldwork to strengthen the building, the data and detailed plans related to this process, available in the executive file of this project, were utilized without addressing other strengthening options due to the lack of data about them.
Based on the study conducted by the specialized committee, numerical modeling and analysis were performed using the ETABS software on the building’s structural system before and after strengthening under seismic loads. The results showed that using this strengthening method improves the structural performance of the building under seismic loads, and the lateral displacement at the top of the building decreased by 19.3%. This make the displacements within the allowed ranges according to the Syrian standards.
