Seismic performance of RC bridge piers reinforced through FRCM confinement

Corrosion of reinforced concrete (RC) structures is one of the main issues concerning existing buildings and especially of infrastructures. Corrosion phenomena, that is induced mainly by carbonatation and by high chlorides concentration, can significantly affect the performance of existing structures. In particular, the seismic performance can be significantly affected. Loss of transversal reinforcement in RC elements can reduce the concrete ductility while corrosion affecting bending reinforcement reduces the lateral load-bearing capacity of RC elements. To enhance the performance of corroded elements and extend service life of deteriorated structures confinement is one of the most effective and commonly used techniques. This paper investigates the deterioration of the seismic performance of a RC bridge affected by corrosion and retrofitted through FRCM confinement. Different deterioration and retrofitting scenarios are combined and seismic fragility curves are computed for each case. Finally, time-variant seismic reliability profiles are used to evaluate the best retrofitting scenario and intervention time to maximize reliability gains.