Experimental Evaluation of Retrofit Mechanisms for Precast R/C Tilt-up Wall-Foundation Connections

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This project is supported under the Phase 2 (second year) program of Seismic Repair and Rehabilitation Initiative (NSF 90-23). This project focuses on an experimental research program for seismic rehabilitation of existing connections between precast, reinforced concrete tilt-up walls and their foundation to improve their seismic performance. This cost-effective construction type is widely used for office buildings, factories, stores, and warehouses. It is estimated that about half of the R/C industrial facilities are built using tilt-up construction. Much of the work performed recently in retrofitting tilt-up walls concentrated on the roof-wall connection as it is considered the weakest link in the assembly. Little attention has been given to another weak link which is the wall- foundation connection. Many of these existing connections lack adequate ductility and detailing and could experience shear slip failure under strong ground shaking. The project includes a detailed comparison between assumed and actual elastic and inelastic capacity of the foundation-wall connection; an evaluation of the effectiveness of the corrective measures intended to increase the connection strength and ductility; and recommendations on evaluation criteria and design guidelines for the rehabilitation of existing structures.