This is important to repair established reinforced Concrete walls either when they lack their strength and willingness to take on the required loads or where you need to expand their capacity to support the load. That kind of restoration is particularly important for walls designed in areas with a strong seismic environment.

Using conventional materials or modern products for reinforced concrete walls, various Retrofitting methods may be implemented.

Methods to Strengthen Concrete Walls

• Concrete Replacement.
• Shape Memory Alloys.
• FRP Laminates.
• Concrete Jacketing.
• Retrofitting by Steel Materials.

Concrete Replacement: This is one of the simplest and cheapest ways to restore the R.C Walls’ strength and ductility. Next, the process includes replacing the weakened concrete. The end surface is thoroughly swept and washed to avoid all the loose materials. When minor quantities of the reinforcing found in the stress region are buckled, it will be straightened.

The formwork for the wall web is ready after the preparation is done. On one side of the wall fresh concrete is poured into the formwork. The wall is healed after concreting. Epoxy grout will complete the top section of the building because it takes strong strength to make touch with the old concrete.

Retrofitting using Shape Memory Alloys (SMA): Form memory alloys have received a lot of interest in researches of civil infrastructure where it is seen to have a significant future in system retrofitting. The usage of SMA to retrofit RC walls is being examined through various experiments and researches.

The SMA has the advantage of needing to endure significant deformations. This regains its original form as the tension added to the SMA system is eliminated. This means that SMA gains ductility and capacity for energy dissipation without the member undergoing any form of permanent deformation.

Use of FRP Laminates: The usage of synthetic materials such as a fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) in different ways for the retrofitting of reinforced concrete walls has been a technique used for decades past. FRP achieves both high power and good corrosion resistance. These are therefore low in weight, and can thus be quickly added.

FRP may be placed over the R.C wall as laminates or boards, or as lines. Such retrofitting can be rendered more effective by prestressing the fibers. FRP composites are simple and easy to retrofit.

Concrete Jacketing: It is a conventional form of retrofitting, where the retrofitting process is carried out to raise the wall dimension. The dimensional improvement is accomplished by the application of fresh material to the current concrete building. For this reason, extra steel reinforcing is installed to improve the R.C wall’s intensity and ductility.

The current reinforcing of steel is turned into a network of horizontal and vertical bars which are then fixed to the base of the building. You may also put the reinforcing mesh through a hole bored into the base in which it is grouted and sealed with epoxy.

Retrofitting by Steel Materials: The use of steel to retrofit R.C walls only adds a small amount of weight to the old structure. It is a retrofitting technique which causes the occupants of the building to suffer minimum disruption.

Steel sheet retrofitting: Steel plate sections are attached to the surface of the R.C Wall which helps to improve the power, rigidity, and ductility of the wall framework. The steel plate portion can be applied either vertically or horizontally, depending on the property to be strengthened.

Steel Bracing retrofitting: The use of steel bracings is common for frame structures that are currently resistant. Proper bracing connections with existing walls ensure the structure has adequate strength, rigidity, and ductility.

Steel bracing also improves the R.C structure’s seismic efficiency. Providing steel bracing on the R.C walls at sufficient intervals reduces the duration of the buckling which in effect improves the bracing member ‘s ability.

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