Advanced seismic retrofit of a low-rise R/C building

The paper offers a synthesis of the design study of an advanced seismic retrofit solution of a low-rise reinforced concrete building, consisting in the installation of a dissipative bracing system incorporating pressurized fluid viscous spring-dampers as passive protective devices. This demonstrative application represents the last stage of the research activities carried out by the authors on this protection technology, also within several international Research Projects. The structural characteristics of the case study building make it representative of a large stock of similar edifices designed with earlier Technical Standards editions, in Italy and other European seismic-prone countries. The mechanical parameters, dimensions, layouts and locations selected for the constituting elements of the system, and the performance assessment analyses in original and rehabilitated conditions carried out according to a full non-linear dynamic approach, are presented. The results of the analyses show a remarkable enhancement of the seismic response capacities of the structure, which allows reaching the high performance levels postulated in the retrofit design.