Advancing Seismic Resilience through Sustainable Structural Solutions: A Review of Material and Analytical Innovations in RC Design

Abstract

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures, that are built with outdated seismic evaluations faced significant damage due to the earthquakes,which highlights the needs for resilient and sustainable strengthening solutions. In order to evaluate their efficacy in enhancing seismic behavior, this review summarizes recent developments in high performance materials like fibre reinforced polymer composites and engineered cementitious composites by applying  nonlinear analytical techniques like pushover and nonlinear time-history analyses. Using Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, a focused literature search was carried out with an emphasis on important topics such as FRP-based retrofitting, engineered cementitious composites (ECC), and low-impact building materials that support sustainability objectives.Through lighter interventions, longer service life, and fewer repair requirements, innovations like FRP retrofitting and ECC-based detailing greatly improve ductility, energy absorption, and post-earthquake functionality while minimizing environmental impact, as the chosen studies show.The data also shows that proactive performance-based design (PBD), where nonlinear modeling enables educated retrofit decisions to meet targeted resilience targets, is increasingly replacing reactive repair solutions.Overall, this research emphasizes how crucial it is to combine cutting-edge seismic assessment techniques with sustainable material technologies in order to facilitate the construction of resilient, low-carbon RC infrastructure in earthquake-prone areas.