Review of different analysis and strengthening techniques of soft story buildings

Abstract

Soft story buildings are vulnerable to seismic forces due to their weak lower levels, which can lead to significant damage or even collapse during earthquakes. Various analysis and strengthening techniques have been developed to mitigate this risk, each with its advantages and limitations. Objective of this study to provides a comprehensive overview of different strengthening techniques of soft story buildings, their effectiveness, and limitations. It also covers different strengthening measures such as global strengthening techniques (Adding of shear walls, Addition of infill walls, Adding of steel bracing, Wall thickening technique, Adding of wing wall /buttresses, Mass reduction, Base isolation) and local strengthening techniques (Jacketing of beam, Jacketing of column, Jacketing of the beam-column junction, Strengthening of individual footings). From the comparative study, it is observed that Jacketing techniques are one of the most popular and cost-effective local strengthening technique if only a few building components are flawed. Steel bracing required less work since the cost of the foundation may be reduced, interior framework receives significantly less weight. The findings can help engineers and researchers/practitioner to make informed decisions in selecting the most suitable retrofit strategy for a specific building.