Experimental Study on Existing Reinforced Concrete Frames Strengthened by L-type Precast Concrete Wall Panels to Earthquake-Proof Buildings

The purpose of this study is to investigate the behavior of existing Reinforced Concrete (RC) frames strengthened with L-type Precast Concrete (PC) wall panels under cyclic loads. The idea is to remove the brick walls with windows inside the RC frames and to strengthen the frames using L-type PC wall panels, thus transforming the existing brick infill into a strong and rigid PC infill. Herein, a technique using dowels (i.e. post-installed anchors) to fix a PC wall panel firmly to a RC frame is proposed. This technique is to anchor dowels through pre-installed holes in a PC wall panel. A total of six full-scale, one-bay, one-story RC frames were constructed and tested under reverse cyclic loading. Four L-type PC wall panels with large openings were used for strengthening the RC frames. As a result, the lateral strength, stiffness, and energy dissipation capability of the frame was greatly improved. Specifically, the more dowels that were used to fix the vertical part of a PC wall panel to an RC column and the thicker the PC wall panel, the better the seismic resistance of the frame.