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High Reliability Building Structures: Retrofits, Designs and Applications, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 686

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanics and Materials, University of Reggio Calabria, 89124 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Interests: structural reliability; new buildings; existing buildings; structural safety; retrofit
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The structural reliability of buildings is a topic encountered on a daily basis. It comprises building design, construction, operation and maintenance practices in order to ensure functionality, especially following events that alter buildings’ state of health. Monitoring new buildings and monitoring and improving existing buildings are increasingly important practices; for most existing buildings, their design life has been reached or will be reached in the near future. For this reason, buildings must be appropriately evaluated (in the case of new constructions) and re-evaluated (in the case of extant buildings) by designers; hence, high reliability must be guaranteed with innovative monitoring techniques and new design philosophies. Cost–benefit analysis procedures that reflect the life cycle of retrofitting solutions are simple. However, determining the parameters necessary to perform such analyses is difficult and requires considerable engineering expertise. Such parameters include the annual probability of ground movements, damage to the structure before and after retrofitting, accident rates, and the extent of building downtime.

Dr. Raffaele Pucinotti
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • building structures
  • structural safety
  • reliability
  • retrofit
  • designs

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 7337 KiB  
Article
Natural Lime–Cork Mortar for the Seismic and Energetic Retrofit of Infill Walls: Design, Materials, and Method
by Rocco Buda and Raffaele Pucinotti
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(17), 7503; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177503 - 25 Aug 2024
Viewed by 481
Abstract
Recent seismic events have prompted research into innovative and sustainable materials for strengthening and repairing obsolete and vulnerable buildings. These earthquakes have exposed the high seismic vulnerability of existing reinforced concrete (RC) buildings, particularly in secondary structural elements like infill walls. In addition [...] Read more.
Recent seismic events have prompted research into innovative and sustainable materials for strengthening and repairing obsolete and vulnerable buildings. These earthquakes have exposed the high seismic vulnerability of existing reinforced concrete (RC) buildings, particularly in secondary structural elements like infill walls. In addition to structural issues, these buildings often face significant energy deficiencies, such as thermal bridges, due to inadequate insulation. Traditionally, structural and energy improvements for residential buildings are addressed separately with different methods and protocols. This preliminary study is part of a broader research initiative at the University of Reggio Calabria (Italy), aiming to design an innovative fiber-reinforced plaster using natural, sustainable, and locally produced materials to enhance the energy and structural performance of existing wall infills. The study investigates two plaster matrices made of natural hydraulic lime and silica sand, with 15% and 30% cork granules added. Mechanical and thermophysical tests on multiple specimens were conducted to evaluate their suitability for seismic and energy retrofitting of infill walls. Results indicate that adding cork reduces mechanical strength by approximately 42% at a 30% cork content without compromising its use in seismic retrofitting. Thermophysical tests show improved thermal performance with a higher cork content. These findings suggest that the lime–cork mixture at 30% is effective, offering excellent ductility and serving as a promising alternative to traditional cementitious plaster systems. The next experimental phase will test matrices with varying percentages of gorse fiber. Full article
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