JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #111 - March 2017 - Special JEC World - 99

Critical building technology to save lives during earthquakes

ly subjected to simulated earthquake
loading. All characteristics of both
buildings were identical in means of
material qualities, geometry and reinforcing bars and they were representative of older substandard buildings
with weak column-strong beam configuration, low concrete strength (less
than 20 MPa), insufficient transverse
reinforcement (30 cm stirrup spacing) and relatively high column axial
load levels (between 22 and 45% of
the column axial load capacities). The
retrofitting of the test building was
realized through external wrapping of
the columns with Carbon FRP sheets
developed and produced by DowAksa
Company.

There was no strength loss or significant damage observation on the retrofitted building. After the collapse
of the reference building the push
over loading continued until ten times
higher lateral drift of the reference
building collapse drift (to 15% drift
ratio). However, even under this extremely high lateral displacement, the
retrofitted building managed to stand
upright. Conclusion: total collapse of
non-retrofitted building is expected to
occur at a typical 6.5 M Marmara region earthquake while retrofitted with
DowAksa CFRP may survive a hypothetical Marmara region earthquake
of 7.6 M.
Stepping stone
Ageing infrastructure is a growing
concern across the globe, threatening
public safety, causing major disruptions and draining economies. Finding
long-lasting and efficient ways to re-

pair buildings, pipelines, roads and
bridges is a challenge. The team hopes
that the test conducted in November
to showcase the strength of the carbon product will be a stepping stone in
finding a solution to this problem.
CRFP composites have a higher tensile strength than steel, are lightweight and do not corrode. DowAksa's
CarbonWrap® is designed to offer a
critical technology that can be quickly and efficiently applied by properly
trained construction professionals,
usually without interrupting the daily functions of the structures. Unlike
traditional retrofit or reconstruction
techniques that require demolition
and reconstruction of part or all of the
failing structures, CarbonWrap® goes
right over the existing substrate. This
minimizes disruption during repair
and saves significantly on installation
time and costs. Applied in the form of
a flexible fabric during the installation,
it is then saturated with a resin matrix,
allowing it to harden to a strong, unyielding material with a strength-toweight ratio that exceeds fifty times
that of steel.

No111 March 2017

More information:
www.dowaksa.com

/ jec composites magazine

Feature Construction

After several days of site preparations that included extensive placement of advanced sensors, the test
was completed under the supervision
of Professor Alper İlki from Istanbul
Technical University, using a system of
hydraulic actuators to simulate a seismic shock. This was the first test of its
type in the world to simulate seismic
forces on two 3-story substandard reinforced concrete structures simultaneously.The simultaneous tests had
been completed in three days. During
the first two days of the testing, a re-

versed cyclic lateral displacement
protocol had been applied to both
buildings. On the third day, in front of
a distinguished audience, both buildings were simultaneously pushed over,
until the total collapse of the reference
building took place at a first story drift
ratio less than 1.5%.

http://www.dowaksa.com http://www.eastmancuts.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #111 - March 2017 - Special JEC World