ABSTRACT
In the aftermath of the September 19, 2017 earthquake, several hundred buildings were rehabilitated in Mexico City. Based on a research project jointly developed by UNAM and The University of Texas at Austin, addition of new reinforced concrete walls was found to be the most widely used rehabilitation technique. Different configurations were recorded. In cases where building sides were readily accessible, walls were built eccentric to the existing frame structure. Most walls were concentric with the frame axes. Some concentric walls were infilled so that the vertical and horizontal wall reinforcement was not continuous across the building height and width, respectively. In other cases, vertical wall reinforcement was made continuous through the floor system. To develop analysis and design recommendations, aimed at applying performance-based design rules, a dataset of tests on the addition of RC walls was assembled. Emphasis was given to identify the distinct modes of failures, including those related to connections and interface shear transfer between wall edges and existing frame members. Most significant results of the analysis of the dataset are discussed. Comments related to connection modeling and design are presented.
