Experimental Study on Seismic Behavior of Damaged Beam-Column Joints Retrofitted by Viscoelastic Steel-Enveloped Elements

In order to improve the seismic performance of damaged reinforced concrete joints, a new retrofitting method using viscoelastic materials and steel plates is proposed. A reversal cyclic loading test was carried out on four T-shaped RC joints to investigate the reliability of this method. Seismic performance, including the strength, stiffness, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity of the original non-damaged joint and different repaired and retrofitted joints are then compared. The results show that this new method can significantly improve the strength of the retrofitted joints, and the joints can be loaded to a larger displacement value. After retrofitting, the energy dissipation of the joints increases, and the stiffness degradation decreases. The test results indicate that the retrofitting method is effective in repairing seismically damaged RC joints.

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