Seismic Performance Enhancement of Soft-Storey RC Structures With Galvanized Steel Welded Wire Mesh Confinement: Experimental and Numerical Investigation

Seismic vulnerability in soft-storey reinforced concrete (RC) structures is a critical concern due to stiffness discontinuities, leading to localized plastic hinge formation and premature failure under lateral loads. This study investigates the effectiveness of Galvanized Steel Welded Wire Mesh (GW Mesh) confinement in enhancing the ductility, strength, and seismic resilience of RC structures through experimental testing and numerical modeling. The results demonstrated a 14.29% increase in strain capacity and a 9.5% enhancement in post-yield strength for the GW Mesh-confined specimens, confirming superior lateral stress distribution and core integrity retention. The moment-curvature (M-Φ) analysis revealed a 6.52% improvement in yielding curvature and a 10.23% increase in ultimate curvature, highlighting enhanced plastic rotational capacity. Pushover analysis releaved that the GW Mesh-confined RC frame exhibited failure at the 13th push step with a base shear of 3206 kips, compared to 9th push failure at 2451 kips in the unconfined model, marking a 23.5% increase in base shear capacity. Hysteresis loop analysis confirmed enhanced energy dissipation and reduced stiffness degradation, while backbone curves revealed a 1.2-inch increase in displacement capacity, ensuring superior lateral load resistance and deformation tolerance. The findings hold significant implications for the design and retrofitting of seismic-resistant buildings, particularly in earthquake-prone regions where economic constraints necessitate innovative yet feasible engineering solutions..