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This paper presents the performance of reinforced concrete beam-column connections strengthened with carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) sheets externally and steel bars internally. The work emphasized joint behavior under reverse cyclic loading to assess deformation capacity and strength. The study aims the existing buildings designed inadequately in joint sections. For experimental analysis, an exterior joint application was used. In strengthening, four different strengthening configurations were used. Each configuration was designed to illustrate the effect of strengthening at joint sections of the samples. Cyclic performance of the retrofitted samples compared to the control sample satisfies the current building code requirements. Test results indicated that bearing capacity and ductility of the connections were closely related to the original condition of the element and strengthening application.

Masonry healthcare facilities in Turkey are investigated in the current research. The structural assessment of the healthcare facilities has become very important for increasing building safety. A large amount of the existing healthcare facilities are generally old buildings, constructed before engineering practices were developed making most buildings vulnerable to severe structural damage. Since healthcare facilities are costly buildings to replace, structural and non-structural assessments have economical importance. Even non-structural behavior can be more critical than structural behavior as ground vibrations can cause severe damage to these types of facilities. Different ground vibrations and soil types are employed in the analyses to investigate structural and non-structural behavior of these types of facilities.

This study focused on the mechanical performance of polyvinyl alcohol fibre-reinforced lightweight concrete, produced with lightweight aggregates, or airentraining agent, or a combination of both. Superior mechanical properties including low density, high flexural strength and high ductility were achieved and the potential use in wall panel production was then carefully examined.