19/09/2026
RETROFITTING = STRENGTHENING
Traditional steel jacketing remains one of the most reliable techniques for retrofitting reinforced-concrete columns. Steel angles and welded battens enhance confinement, axial capacity, shear resistance, and ductility.
However, emerging materials such as FRP composites, UHPC jackets, textile-reinforced mortar, and shape-memory alloys can provide lighter installation, improved corrosion resistance, and reduced intervention time.
The best retrofit is not always the newest system; it is the solution that achieves the required performance, durability, constructability, and life-cycle economy.