Seismic Behavior of FRP-Retrofitted Reinforced Concrete Frames

Although a significant number of studies have been conducted on the behavior of the reinforced concrete beam-column joints retrofitted with FRP materials, limited investigation considered the overall seismic behavior of the retrofitted frames. In this article, experimental and numerical studies are performed on a scaled-down eight-story and two full scaled low-rise ordinary moment resisting frames (OMRFs) retrofitted with FRP at the joints. Additional, rotational stiffness of the joints is implemented into pushover models to predict seismic performance and behavior factor of the retrofitted frames. Results indicate that FRP retrofitting is more effective than steel braces for low- and medium-rise OMRFs.