Experimental vs. Numerical Simulations: Seismic Response of a Half Scale Three-Storey Infilled RC Building Strengthened Using FRP Retrofit

In the field of seismic analysis of structures, the use of appropriate Finite Elements software packages to manage more complex numerical models and to run more sophisticated analyses (such as nonlinear dynamic time-history analyses) in very short runtimes has increased significantly in the last decades.

In order to have confidence in the numerical results of these complex analyses, it has become an increasingly widespread practice to verify and validate the FE computers programs against literature case studies as well as experimental results. Focusing on this latter aspect, shaking-table experiments on real buildings play an important role in understanding the actual behaviour of such structures.

In the present work, the numerical evaluation of the seismic response of a half scale three-storey infilled RC building that has been strengthened using composite materials (i.e. FRP retrofit) is carried out by adopting specific modelling techniques. The adequacy of the numerical modelling is then verified by comparing numerical results against experimental data.