Seismic Strengthening of Masonry Walls with FRP

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) was used to strengthen the masonry walls of this building. The United Airlines maintenance facility in Oakland International Airport is a major structure with the capacity of accommodating six large aircrafts at any given time. The interior masonry walls surrounding the stairs required seismic upgrade.

A major concern of the client was the cleanliness of the repair/strengthening procedure; with so many aircraft parts being exposed, dust had to be kept at a minimal level.

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) was used for this project. The entire surface areas of the walls in the vicinity of staircases were seismically strengthened using over 4,000 ft² of FRP fabric.

This project was completed in November 1997.

Credits