Experimental Investigations on Seismically Damaged Nonrectangular Reinforced-Concrete Structural Walls Repaired by FRPs

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on four nonrectangular reinforced-concrete (RC) wall specimens. These specimens were damaged in previous tests with associated axial and lateral load and were subsequently repaired and strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs). The specimens include two L-shaped specimens and two T-shaped specimens. Results highlight that most of the strength and stiffness of the original specimens were recovered by the repair process. Compared to the original specimens, the ductility of the repaired specimens did not reduce significantly. Other aspects of the repaired wall including the failure mechanisms, hysteresis responses, deformation component, and stiffness characteristics are also discussed and compared with the original specimens. The current available methods for estimating strength and stiffness of the repaired walls with externally bonded FRPs are also evaluated and discussed based on the experimental data. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.