A REVIEW OF CONVENTIONAL SEISMIC RETROFITTING TECHNIQUES FOR URM

In many seismically active regions of the world there are large numbers of masonry buildings. Most of these buildings have not been designed for seismic loads. Recent earthquakes have shown that many such buildings are seismically vulnerable and should be considered for retrofitting. Different conventional retrofitting techniques are available to increase the strength and/or ductility of unreinforced masonry walls. This paper reviews and discuses the state-of-the-art on seismic retrofitting of masonry walls with emphasis on the conventional techniques. The paper reviews retrofitting procedures, advantages, disadvantages, limitations, effect of each retrofitting technique.