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1 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................1
1.1 General.......................................................................................................................................1
1.2 Objectives...................................................................................................................................1
1.3 Scope of Work............................................................................................................................1
1.4 Limitations..................................................................................................................................2
2. Description of structure.....................................................................................................................3
3 SEISMIC INTERVENTION OPTIONS FOR THE BUILDING UNDER STUDY...............................................4
3.1 General.......................................................................................................................................4
3.2 Major Weaknesses Revealed During Earthquake in Similar Building Typology..........................5
3.3 Common Retrofitting Methods..................................................................................................5
3.3.1 Conversion of RC frame building to Confined Masonry Building........................................6
3.3.2 Reinforced Concrete Jacketing...........................................................................................6
3.3.3 Steel Profile Jacketing.........................................................................................................6
3.3.4 Addition of Reinforced Concrete Shear Wall......................................................................8
3.3.5 Steel Bracing.......................................................................................................................8
3.3.6 Addition of Infill Walls........................................................................................................8
3.3.7 Addition of reinforced wing Walls......................................................................................8
3.4 Method of Retrofitting for the Assessed Building.....................................................................9
4. Building Initial stages & Repair and maintenance p.............................................................................10
4.1 Initial Stages of buildings................................................................................................................10
4.2 Dismantle of building.....................................................................................................................11
4.3 Shear wall construction..................................................................................................................15
4.4 Jacketing of beams & pillars.........................................................................................................19
4.5 Addition of new infill walls.............................................................................................................22
4.6 Water proofing work on slab.........................................................................................................26
4.7 Addition of new column...............................................................................................................27
4.8 Metal stair case for entrance and channel gate of 1.60m width....................................................30
4.9 Plastering of the building...............................................................................................................32
4.10 Windows and doors.....................................................................................................................36
4.11 Wiring...........................................................................................................................................40
5 Site visit by Nepal Red Cross society and Consultancy members..........................................................41
6 CONCLUSIONS...................................................................................................................................42

1 INTRODUCTION

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1.1 General

This report is prepared by Earthquake Safety Solutions (ESS) as a part of second

phase seismic vulnerability assessment, retrofit design and supervision during
retrofitting of District Chapter Building (Office) of Nepal Red Cross Society.
Retrofitting of the building is done on basis of initial design prepared which was
carried out with detail seismic evaluation. The building is strengthened by adopting
standard retrofitting methods as suggested by design along with removing two upper
storey of building which reduced structure load significantly. Retrofitting included of
jacketing of columns and walls as shown in drawing. In addition of retrofitting new
column and shear walls are also constructed wherever seemed required.

1.2 Objectives

The main objective is to supervise the retrofitting work to ensure weather the
contractor executed the work as per design and suggestion provided by initial seismic
analysis work or not and if not take appropriate action against contractor.

1.3 Scope of Work

The scope of the work is as follows:

 Study of previous assessment report as provide.

 To determine the structural characteristics of the building.

 Conduct detailed seismic analysis and retrofitting design using quantitative

method.

 Prepare drawings for the selected retrofitting option

 To analyze the cost estimate for the selected retrofitting option

 Prepare the report, detailing procedures and presenting findings and

recommendation

 Prepare the implementation plan with work schedule and implement

properly.

1.4 Limitations
Proper qualities of materials aren’t available in site. Gardening work cannot be
done as per suggested by president on Nepal Red Cross society sindupalchowk. No any
treatment work is done on the stair cover.

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2. Description of structure
Following are the descriptions of the building based on architectural drawing and site observations.
Site visit to the building was made in November 2017 for the first phase and on April 2018 for the
second phase.

Nepal Red Cross Society (for Norwegian Red

Building Owner Cross )

Chautara,Sagachowkgadi M.C -5,
3 SEISMIC
Location Sindhupalchowk , Nepal INTERVENTION
27°46'49.82"N OPTIONS FOR THE
G. P. S
85°42'42.65"E BUILDING UNDER
Terrain type Slope terrain STUDY

Age of the building 20 years

3.1 General
Type of structure Reinforced concrete frame building
The possible
No of stories Four Storied intervention
Plan configuration Regular options are
selected
based on the
Position of the building Free standing
building
block
typology
Building dimension Refer attached drawing and the
expected
2.77 m(BF),2.84m (GF),2.71m (FF) ,2.42 m performance
Height up to ceiling (SF) of the
building
Plinth Area 90.53 sq. m. after
retrofitting.
The best
225 mmx225 mm applicable
Column size intervention
225mmx325 mm options that
Beam size are available
are selected.
All External, Internal and partition walls are
Wall thickness
115mm thick. brick walls

Building condition Not maintained well

Floor/ Roof structure RCC 100mm thick floor slab

No high possibilities of soil failure
Local hazard

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Following considerations are additionally made while selecting probable intervention
options:

 Requirements to comply to the Building Code for design, materials and

construction techniques Compatibility of the solution with the functional
requirements of the structure

 Possible cost implication

 Indirect cost of retrofitting such as relocation cost

 Availability of construction technique (materials, equipment and workmanship) in

construction site.

 Enhancement of the safety of the building after intervention of the selected option

aesthetics.

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3.2 Major Weaknesses Revealed During Earthquake in Similar Building
Typology

The following are the major types of problems observed during earthquakes in
this type of buildings:

 Damaged infill walls at the basement due to earthquake.

 Overburden soil pressure in the basement walls.
 Inadequate spacing ties in beam column joints
 Inadequate confinement near beam column joint
 Low concrete strength
 Inadequate lateral strength and stiffness of walls and columns
 Irregularities in elevation and vertical discontinuity
 Irregular distribution of loads and structural elements
 Other common structural deficiencies are in load Path, shear stress, column connection,
Inter Storey Drift

3.3 Common Retrofitting Methods

The concept of retrofitting for RC frame building with infill masonry walls start
from enhancing integrity to the structure by providing proper connections
between its resisting elements in such a way that inertia forces generated by the
vibration of the building can be transmitted to the members that have ability to
resist. Typical important aspects are the connection a) between components of
floors and roof; b) between roof or floors and walls; c) between intersecting
walls; and d) walls and foundation.

Commonly used improvements methods include eliminating features that are a)

source of weakness or that produce concentrations of stresses in some members,
b) abrupt change of stiffness

Without proper peripheral reinforcement. Increasing the lateral strength in one or both
directions, by reinforcing or by increasing wall plan areas or the number of walls may
be required in some cases.

Avoiding the possibility of brittle mode of failure by providing proper reinforcement

and connection of load resisting members is the overall objective.

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3.3.1 Conversion of RC frame building to Confined Masonry Building

Confined masonry construction consists of masonry walls and horizontal and vertical
RC confining members built on all four sided of a masonry wall panel. Vertical
members called tie columns resemble columns in RC frame construction except that
they tend to be of far smaller cross-section. Horizontal element, called tie beam,
resembles beams in RC frame construction.

In this method of retrofitting the confinement can be achieved by providing vertical

and horizontal reinforcements at critical locations such as on either side of the
window/door openings. The vertical and horizontal reinforcements can be provided in
the form of splints & bandage on both side of the wall. In some cases, reinforced
concrete jacketing on one or both side of the wall can also be provided in place of
splint and bandage considering various factors such as size and position of openings,
stiffness, etc. The existing columns and beams works as tie members together with
the added splints & bandage/ jacketing.

3.3.2 Reinforced Concrete Jacketing

This method involves addition of a layer of concrete, longitudinal bars and closely
spaced ties. The jacket increases both the flexural strength and shear strength of the
column and beam. It helps to basket the member, hence improve its shear strength and
ductility. This method also improves integrity and deformability. Main improvements
in different structural elements of the building by this method are as follows:

Columns: The jacketing not only increases the flexural strength and shear strength of
the column but also increases its ductility. The thickness of the jacket also gives
additional stiffness to the concrete column. Since the thickness of the jacket is small,
casting self-compacting concrete or the use of shot concrete are preferred to
conventional concrete. During retrofitting, it is preferred to relieve the columns of the
existing gravity loads as much as possible, by propping the supported beams.

Beams: Beams are retrofitted to increase their positive flexural strength, shear strength
and the deformation capacity near the beam-column joints. The lack of adequate
bottom bars and their anchorage at the joints needs to be addressed. Usually the
negative flexural capacity is not enhanced since the retrofitting should not make the
beams stronger than the supporting columns. The strengthening involves the
placement of longitudinal bars and closely spaced stirrups.

3.3.3 Steel Profile Jacketing

Steel profile jacketing refers to encasing frame elements with steel plates and filling
the gap with non-shrink grout. This is generally used for improving ductility and
shear strength and it provides confinement to structural element.

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Columns: Steel profile jacketing of column consists of four longitudinal angles
profiles placed one at each corner of the existing reinforced concrete column and
connected together in a skeleton with transverse steel straps. They are welded to the
angle profiles. The angle profile size should be no less than 50x50X5 mm. Caps and
voids between the angle profiles and the surface of the existing column must be filled
with non-shrinking cement grout or resin grout. A covering with concrete or shot
concrete reinforced with welded fabrics is efficient for corrosion or fire protection. In
general, an improvement of the ductile behavior and an increase of the axial load
capacity of the strengthened column is achieved. However, the stiffness remains
relatively unchanged. If the plates are carried continuous to the floor slab, steel
jacketing also improves flexural strength of the strengthened member, though not
extensively.

Beams: Steel plate reinforcement is a new technique which can be used for beams
subject primarily to static loading to improve their shear strength or mid-span flexural
strength. The steel external plates are attached to concrete surfaces of the reinforced
concrete members by gluing with epoxy resin. During the epoxy hardening, the steel
plates must be clamped to the concrete member. It is recommended that the steel
plates also be anchored by either nails shot into the concrete or anchor bolts. Special
attention must be paid to corrosion or fire, especially considering the total loss of
epoxy resin strength at temperature higher than 250 o C. This procedure is not
recommended for beams subject to cyclic loading due to earthquake forces

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3.3.4 Addition of Reinforced Concrete Shear Wall

Adding shear walls is one of the most popular and economical methods to achieve
seismic protection. Their purpose is to give additional strength and stiffness to the
building and could be added to existing and new buildings. They are positioned after
careful planning and judgment by the structural engineer as to how they would affect
the seismic forces in a particular building. However, it is desired to ensure an
effective connection between the new and existing structure.

3.3.5 Steel Bracing

In this method diagonal braces are provided in the bays of the building. Diagonals
stretch across the bay to form triangulated vertical frame and as triangles are able to
handle stresses better than a rectangular frame the structure is also supposed to
perform better. Braces can be configured as diagonals, X or even V shaped. Braces
are of two types, concentric and eccentric. Concentric braces connect at the
intersection of beams and columns whereas eccentric braces connect to the beam at
some distance away from the beam-column intersection. Eccentric braces have the
advantage that in case of buckling the buckled brace does not damage beam-column
joint.

3.3.6 Addition of Infill Walls

Infill wall consists of reinforced concrete or masonry located in the plane of existing
columns and beams. Infill walls are an extremely important method for strengthening
existing concrete frames of one to three stories in height. By proper selection of the
infill masonry strength along with the prevention of its premature separation from
the columns, a more desirable failure mode can be achieved as shown in pictures
below.

3.3.7 Addition of reinforced wing Walls

Wing walls are the walls located adjacent to the columns. Utilizing the existing wing
walls or adding the new wing walls of required length at the strategic locations and
reinforcing and tying them with the columns can increase the stiffness and capacity
of the columns without too much intervention. This method is suitable for
strengthening existing concrete frames of one to three stories in height.

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3.4 Method of Retrofitting for the Assessed Building

Different options of possible retrofitting techniques are compared for the assessed
building considering its structural details, building condition, possible failure
patterns, local availability of the construction materials and construction technique.

The major problems of the building are:

 The brick masonry is not mechanically connected to concrete frames.

 Ductile detailing is not followed during the construction of the building.

 Deterioration of the masonry walls and units and moderate to large cracks in
them.

 The building has presence of vertical discontinuity and irregularity

 The inter storey drifts are likely to exceed at earthquakes.

The study considered the structural system of the building, its major structural
problems and different available options of retrofitting. Splint and bandage
method for changing the RC frame structure to confined masonry is adopted in
this building.

Following retrofitting strategy are adopted in this building:

 Demolition of upper two stories including slab of the first floor for Option II and
demolition of only second floor including truss for Option I.

 Repair works is carried out before the retrofit work is done.

 The partition walls inside the rooms on the upper floor are demolished.
 Increase of wall thickness from 115mm to 230mm for walls within frame.
 Grouting of cracks in the infill walls and concrete beam and columns of building
are done.
 Some walls are added and shifted at strategic locations.
 The windows and doors are relocated and added at the strategic locations.
 Addition of new staircase slab on top.

 Wall jacketing on single side at the basement walls at grids (1-1), (4-4), (C-C)
and jacketing from both sides in the walls along grid (D-D), (2-2) (3-3) at the
basement floor is done.

 Splint and bandage is provided in both outer and inner side of walls at upper
floors.

 The exposed surface of the beams mostly on the projected slabs and other
location is plastered along with the plastering of other structural works.

 Covering of staircase using light partition walls and CGI.

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4. Building Initial stages & Repair and maintenance p
4.1 Initial Stages of buildings

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4.2 Dismantle of building
Dismantle of building is done as per the work scheduled provide by the consultant. Dismantled of the
two storey above the structured is completed within 20 days with the help of eight manpower.

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4.3 Shear wall construction

Thickness of shear wall average 6”. Main bars of dia.12mm and horizontal bars
8 mm dia. Spacing between the main bars and horizontal bars is 6” c/c. Concrete
of M20 are used as per seismic report.

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4.4 Jacketing of beams & pillars

Existing size of pillar 9”*9” and after retrofit the size of pillars and beam
12”*12” without plaster. Main bars 12mm dia. & stirrups of 7mm dia. at 6”
spacing c/c. M20 concrete is used while casting the pillars and beam.

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5.Addition of new infill walls

Thickness of infill wall = 230mm

Thickness of lintel and sill = 3” with rebar 12mm dia. & stirrups 7mm dia.
Mortar ratio 1:5 is used in this infill wall.

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4.6 Water proofing work on slab

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4.7 Addition of new column

As the building is heavenly affected by earthquake it was observed to add new

column for additional support of the building. Main bars 12mm dia. and stirrups
8mm dia. With ratio of M20 strength.

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4.8 Metal stair case for entrance and channel gate of 1.60m width

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4.9 Plastering of the building

The ratio 1:4 of plaster with 1.5” minimum thickness with chicken wire mesh to
increase the tensile strength of the wall.

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4.10 Windows and doors

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4.11 Wiring

Power socket 3nos. in each room with one bulb with holder.
External wiring using listick.

5 Site visit by Nepal Red Cross society and Consultancy members

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6 CONCLUSIONS
 As per work schedule the work has been complete.
 All the pillars and beams are properly jacket.
 All the work is done as per the design provided by the seismic report.
 Whole building is plaster properly maintaining the ratio.

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