[en] Metal shear panels (MSPs) may be effectively used as a lateral load resisting system for framed structures. In the present paper, such a technique is applied for the seismic protection of existing RC buildings, by setting up a specific design procedure, which has been developed on the basis of preliminary full-scale experimental tests. The obtained results allowed the development of both simplified and advanced numerical models of both the upgraded structure and the applied shear panels. Also, the proposed design methodology, which is framed in the performance base design philosophy, has been implemented for the structural upgrading of a real Greek existing multi-storey RC building. The results of the numerical analysis confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed technique, also emphasising the efficiency of the implemented design methodology

[en] An important experimental campaign on pure aluminum shear panels, to develop new devices for the seismic passive protection of buildings, has been recently carried out at the University of Naples 'Federico II' in cooperation with the University 'G. d'Annunzio' of Chieti/Pescara. In particular, several pure aluminum shear panels, suitably reinforced by ribs in order to delay shear buckling in the plastic deformation field, have been tested under cyclic loads. The choice pure aluminium, which is really innovative in the field of civil engineering, is justified by both the nominal low yield strength and the high ductility of such a material, which have been further improved through a proper heat treatment. Two different testing layouts have been adopted. In the former, six 'full bay' pure aluminum shear panels, having in-plane dimensions 1500x1000 mm and thickness of 5 mm, have been taken in consideration. In the latter, four 5 mm thick stiffened bracing type pure aluminum shear panels (BTPASPs) with a square shape of 500 mm side length have been cyclically tested under diagonal load. In the whole several plate slenderness ratios have been considered, allowing the evaluation of the most influential factors on the cyclic performance of system. In the current paper a review of the most important results of these recent experimental activities is provided and discussed