Missouri S&T Scholar's Mine Research RepositoryMissouri S&T Research
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In-Plane and Out-of-Plane Behavior of Masonry Walls Strengthened with FRP Systems
The worldwide engineering community has identified failures of URM walls as one of the major causes of material damage and loss of human life due to seismic events. Therefore, the development of effective and affordable retrofitting techniques for masonry members is an urgent need. Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites provide solutions for the strengthening of URM walls subjected to in-plane and out-of plane overstresses caused by high wind pressures or earthquake loads. Three series of walls strengthened with FRP composite materials were tested for this research study. Part of the experimental phase was conducted on masonry walls belonging to a decommissioned building. The first two series studied the behavior of masonry walls under in-plane loads; whereas, the third series of walls investigated the out-of-plane behavior. FRP composites in the form of laminates and rods were used as strengthening materials. The results showed that both shear and flexural capacities of masonry walls can be notably increased by strengthening with FRP composites. The tests performed in the field made possible to identify modes of failure not commonly observed in a laboratory environment. A strengthening method denominated “FRP structural repointing” demonstrated that besides increasing the wall capacity it can preserve its aesthetics. Analytical models to predict the behavior of strengthened walls, as well as provisional guidelines to design the FRP strengthening for shear and flexure are also presented. A financial justification for strengthening of masonry elements with FRP materials is also discussed. Finally, conclusions are provided and future research needs on the area of masonry strengthening with FRP systems are outlined.