Interdisciplinary Journal of Civil Engineering

Interdisciplinary Journal of Civil Engineering

Comparative Numerical Assessment of UHPC and GFRP Strengthening for Masonry-Infilled Reinforced Concrete Frame under Cyclic Loading

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran
Abstract
This study numerically investigates the cyclic in-plane behaviour of seven reinforced concrete (RC) frame configurations to evaluate the effects of masonry infill walls, wall openings, and strengthening techniques using ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) and glass-fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP). Nonlinear finite element models were developed in ABAQUS using the concrete damage plasticity (CDP) model and validated against experimental results. The effects of different infill configurations and strengthening systems were assessed in terms of lateral strength, stiffness degradation, energy dissipation, ductility, and equivalent viscous damping. The results indicate that fully infilled frames exhibit an 82.4% increase in maximum positive lateral resistance compared with the bare frame, whereas a 30% opening reduces the contribution of masonry infills. UHPC strengthening provides the greatest improvement in lateral resistance, with the BFW-UHPC model achieving a maximum positive force of 511.82 kN and accumulated energy absorption of 277.7 kN·m. Conversely, GFRP-strengthened configurations demonstrate a more favourable ductility response. The highest equivalent viscous damping ratio, 13.02%, is obtained for the BFWO-GFRP model. These findings highlight the distinct benefits of UHPC and GFRP for seismic strengthening of masonry-infilled RC frames.
Keywords

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