The results of an experimental program on shear-strengthening of flat slabs using Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rods are presented. A total of seven specimens were tested under an upward concentric monotonic loading until failure. One specimen served as a control and was tested without any modification. The remaining six specimens were strengthened with post-installed GFRP rods in single (SG), double (DB), and radial (RD) patterns within shear critical parameters around the centric column. The results of this experimental study suggest that GFRP rods are capable of enhancing both the peak load and deformation capacity. Furthermore, brittle failure associated with punching shear failure was successfully avoided by all strengthening patterns. Of all of the patterns, the RD pattern resulted in maximum peak load increase and corresponding deformation capacity while the lowest bound was created by the SG pattern. The results suggested that SG, DB and RD patterns enhanced ultimate loads up to 9.1, 11.3 and 15.7% while corresponding deflections increased up to 109, 136 and 154%. Strain measurement on flexural reinforcement suggested that all strengthened specimens were able to withstand higher longitudinal strains than yield. It was further shown that reducing the spacing between the GFRP rods efficiently enhanced peak loads, nevertheless, neither this change was proportional, nor did it result in an enhanced energy dissipation capacity. In the end, recommendations of American Concrete Institute (ACI) for the shear strength of two-way systems were modified to incorporate the contributions from GFRP rods. The results indicate that the proposed analytical approach provides an excellent match with the experimental results.
The application of a buckling restrained brace (BRB) to improve the energy dissipation of a precast concrete rocking wall (PCRW) was investigated. A series of quasi-static reversed cyclic loading tests was conducted for the BRB, the PCRW subassemblage and the combined PCRW–BRB system. A commonly adopted fibre model was then developed using the Ruaumoko computer program and verified using the experimental results. The results indicate that the stable elasto-plastic BRB supplies vibration energy to the nonlinear elastic responses of the PCRW. This finding confirms that the PCRW–BRB system is a suitable alternative for use in seismic-resistant structures.
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