PSI - Issue 77

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2026) 000 – 000

www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 77 (2026) 465–474

© 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers Abstract Deficiencies in reinforced-concrete (RC) elements, such as inadequate transverse reinforcement and poor material quality, critically compromise structural integrity by accelerating fracture mechanisms and reducing overall structural capacity. The February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes (Mw 7.7 and Mw 7.6) caused severe damage to reinforced concrete (RC) structures in south-eastern Türkiye, highlighting the critical influence of concrete quality and transverse reinforcement detailing on fracture behaviour and structural integrity. Field surveys revealed widespread deficiencies, including excessive stirrup spacing, inadequate diameters, insufficient hook anchorage, poor material quality, and workmanship flaws. Integrating post earthquake observations with nonlinear static analyses of a representative 6-storey RC model, 10 parametric simulations examined the effects of transverse spacing, diameter, hook angle, and material grade. Results show that closer stirrup spacing (300 mm to 200 mm) can raise column shear capacity by up to 22%, while 135° hook anchorage mitigates longitudinal bar buckling. The combined field – numerical approach offers evidence-based recommendations for seismic design, and code improvement in high-risk regions. © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers Keywords: Fracture, Reinforcement, Retrofitting, Seismic, Structural integrity International Conference on Structural Integrity Influence of transverse reinforcement on damage and fracture mechanisms in RC structures during the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes Ercan Işik a , Fatih Avcil a , Aydın Büyüksaraç b , Enes Arkan c , Silva Lozančić d , Dorin Radu e , Marijana Hadzima-Nyarko d * a Department of Civil Engineering, Bitlis Eren University, Bitlis, Türkiye; eisik@beu.edu.tr; favcil@beu.edu.tr b Vocational School, Çanakkale 18 Mart University, Çanakkale, Türkiye; absarac@comu.edu.tr c Department of Architecture, Bitlis Eren University, Bitlis, Türkiye, earkan@beu.edu.tr d Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia, lozancic@gfos.hr, mhadzima@gfos.hr e Faculty of Civil Engineering, Transilvania University of Brașov, Romania; dorin.radu@unitbv.ro

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2026.01.059