Date: |
14 Apr 2026, 5.00PM – 6.30PM |
duration: |
1 hr 30 mins |
Venue: |
Engineering New Zealand |
Address: |
Level 6/40 Taranaki Street Wellington |
Cost: |
Free event |
Many existing buildings in New Zealand incorporate older concrete diaphragm systems that do not meet current seismic performance expectations, leaving practicing engineers with limited guidance for assessment and retrofit design. This presentation draws on complementary research programs conducted in both New Zealand and the United States, with a strong emphasis on relevance to everyday engineering practice.
Key experimental and analytical findings are presented, focusing on diaphragm systems commonly encountered in existing buildings. The presentation also highlights emerging design provisions in ACI 440, ACI 369, and ASCE 41, translating recent research outcomes into practical design guidance for anchorage detailing, reinforcement layout, and diaphragm‑to‑wall connections essential to achieving reliable seismic performance. The session concludes with a brief case study demonstrating the application of FRP strengthening for the seismic retrofit of an existing building in New Zealand.
Presenter Bio:
Aniket Borwankar is the Director of Strategic Engineering at Henkel and leads their research efforts on FRP composites. He is also a member of the ACI 440F (FRP Retrofit) and ACI 369 (Seismic Retrofit) committees and leads the diaphragm task group to develop guidance for design FRP retrofits on diaphragms.
This presentation will cover FRP diaphragm strengthening with a focus on shear transfer related testing and design guidance for FRP and FRP anchorage.
Many existing buildings in New Zealand incorporate older concrete diaphragm systems that do not meet current seismic performance expectations, leaving practicing engineers with limited guidance for assessment and retrofit design. This presentation draws on complementary research programs conducted in both New Zealand and the United States, with a strong emphasis on relevance to everyday engineering practice.
Key experimental and analytical findings are presented, focusing on diaphragm systems commonly encountered in existing buildings. The presentation also highlights emerging design provisions in ACI 440, ACI 369, and ASCE 41, translating recent research outcomes into practical design guidance for anchorage detailing, reinforcement layout, and diaphragm‑to‑wall connections essential to achieving reliable seismic performance. The session concludes with a brief case study demonstrating the application of FRP strengthening for the seismic retrofit of an existing building in New Zealand.
Presenter Bio:
Aniket Borwankar is the Director of Strategic Engineering at Henkel and leads their research efforts on FRP composites. He is also a member of the ACI 440F (FRP Retrofit) and ACI 369 (Seismic Retrofit) committees and leads the diaphragm task group to develop guidance for design FRP retrofits on diaphragms.
