Optimal seismic retrofitting techniques for URM school buildings located in the southwestern Iberian peninsula

This paper aims to study different seismic retrofitting techniques to test the reduction of the seismic vulnerability of unreinforced masonry buildings. Three techniques have been considered in a case study: adding steel or carbon fibre reinforced polymer grids in the walls and steel encirclements in the openings. The performance-based method has been used to that purpose. Nonlinear static analyses have been performed to obtain the capacity and fragility curves, the performance point and the damage level states. Moreover, an analysis of the cost-benefit ratio has been carried out. Results have shown that the three techniques have produced considerable improvements. The addition of encirclements has reduced the deformation resulting in a slight increase of the structure’s stiffness. Adding steel grids has produced the maximum peak strength increase while adding polymer grids has produced the largest ultimate displacements. Adding encirclement has had the best cost-benefit ratio.