Repair or Replace? The Numbers Owners Actually Ask For
Strengthening is rarely chosen on engineering merit alone. Five comparisons that decide the argument, from downtime and embodied carbon to residual life.
Contributor
Elif Kaya
Contributing structural engineer · 4 published articles
Base Plates and Anchor Bolts: Where Strengthening Projects Actually Fail
A column can be perfectly jacketed and still fail at the four bolts holding it down. Anchor installation, hole cleaning and edge distance decide the outcome.
Seismic Retrofit Sequencing for 1990s Reinforced Concrete Frames
Jackets, wraps and new shear walls solve different problems. Getting the order wrong can load a strengthened column with the demand you just removed from its neighbour.
Carbon Fibre Strengthening: Nine Details That Decide Whether the Laminates Work
The design calculation is rarely what fails on a CFRP strengthening job. These are the nine execution details that separate a working retrofit from a decorative one.