Experimental Investigation of RC Frame Retrofitted by Steel Brace

A new seismic retrofitting method is proposed in this study. The retrofit technique is that the top and bottom regions of existing unsuitable RC column are jacketed by steel plates actively utilizing pre- tensioned high strength steel bars, and then X-shaped steel brace and RC column are simply jointed together through those pre-tensioned steel bars also. Cyclic lateral loading tests were carried out not only to confirm the difference of seismic performance between retrofitted specimen and non- retrofitted specimen, but also to verify the lateral force transfer system between existing RC frame and steel brace. For the retrofitted specimen, lateral capacity and deformability could be improved remarkably.