Numerical Investigation on the CFRP Strengthened Steel Frame under Earthquake

Steel structures are commonly used in seismic regions of the world because of its strength and ductility. However, these structures are still prone to damage during an earthquake. With this risk of seismic damage, the strengthening of steel structures is a major concern in order to resist the dynamic loads resulted from earthquakes. This report investigates the potential for the use of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) to strengthen the rigid steel frame under a real earthquake load. This research will be undertaken using Strand7, a finite element (FE) analysis software. To validate the accuracy of this research, the finite analysis results have been compared to the available experimental study by the Authors. First, both FE models of a five-story bare steel frame and CFRP strengthened steel frame has been developed. Then the predicted numerical results of bare steel frame and CFRP strengthened steel frame under earthquake excitation are compared. The results indicated an increase in the seismic performance of the steel structure due to the strengthened with CFRP. The CFRP strengthened steel frame showed 15% less tip deflection compared to bare steel frame. Further analysis on the strengthening capabilities of higher thickness CFRP was performed to assess the effect of the thickness of CFRP and the higher thickness CFRP showed better seismic performance compare to normal thickness CFRP by reducing 34.38% of tip deflection.