An experimental campaign that studied the effectiveness of seismic retrofitting of existing structures was simulated and analyzed in DIANA finite element analysis (FEA) software. The retrofitting method that was studied is the conversion of selected bays into new infilled RC walls for the retrofitting of a multi-storey multibay RC frame building. The building was tested at the ELSA facility of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra(Italy). It was a full-scale four-storey model tested with the pseudo-dynamic (PsD) method. The frames were designed and detailed for gravity loads only using different connection details between the walls and the bounding frame. The purpose of the experiments was the study of the effectiveness of the proposed retrofitting method, including the design of new infill walls and the contribution of dowels that connect the new infill wall to the existing RC frame. In DIANA FEA, 2D frames were modeled and nonlinear transient analyses were performed in order to simulate the experimental results. In this paper, the finite element models of the test specimen are described and presented along with a comparison of the numerical results to the experimental ones.
The capabilities of the finite element models that simulated the experimental nonlinear cyclic behavior of the tested RC building are illustrated. Finally, conclusions are drawn regarding the effectiveness of the numerical models to capture the behavior of the proposed structural system.
