| By using polymer matrix composite (PMC) material, new conceptual designs for seismic retrofitting were developed for application on existing buildings. Similar to partial rehabilitation techniques using composite material such as column wrapping, the use of prefabricated PMC infill panel systems is a very efficient way to achieve seismic retrofitting of existing facilities because of the efficiency of the material and its ease of use in construction. PMC material has high stiffness-to-weight and strength-to-weight ratios. Thus, the addition of PMC infill panels into existing structures will not significantly alter the weight of the structure while providing substantial structural enhancement.; In this study, three prefabricated PMC infill panel systems for seismic retrofitting were proposed. The PMC infill panels were studied using analytical and experimental methods to assess their effectiveness and response under simulated earthquake loading. Applying the concept of combined interface damping layers to the proposed panel systems was found to be highly feasible in the seismic applications. Design and fabrication procedures for each PMC infill panel were presented, and a conceptual trial design was performed using finite element (FE) analysis. To validate the proposed systems in real situations, both monotonic- and cyclic-loading tests were performed on full-scale models. The results obtained from this research showed that the systems offer the potential to increase the damping as well as the lateral resistance of steel frames, with a relatively low cost of retrofitting. |
