Low yield metal shear panels as an alternative for the seismic upgrading of concrete structures

The paper addresses the problem of seismic retrofitting of existing concrete structures through an innovative methodology based on low yield metallic shear panels. These panels are introduced in specific places in the concrete structure enhancing its strength and stiffness. However, the most important improvement concerns the energy dissipation capacity of the retrofitted structure. The paper presents a preliminary design methodology within the performance based design framework and details for the realization of the intervention. Elaborated non-linear finite element models are used in order to verify the quality of the results obtained from more simple models used in everyday engineering practice.