This post aims to present the most common strengthening techniques for the strengthening of a reinforced concrete building. Before moving on to the presentation of the methods, some general points regarding the different retrofit techniques are put forward in the current section.
Concrete jacketing is probably the mostly used technique for the strengthening of RC members. It is constructed either with cast-in-place concrete or, more often, with shotcrete. The method involves the addition of a layer of reinforced concrete in the form of the jacket using longitudinal steel reinforcement and transverse steel ties outside the perimeter of the existing member.
The term ‘shotcrete’ refers to both the material and the construction method. The material is a concrete or a high-strength mortar, which is literally ‘shot’ into the forms. The method is the application of this material on site.
