An experimental study on cyclic behavior of aerated concrete block masonry walls retrofitted with different methods

Abstract

Due to the insufficiency of the ductility, stability and low tensile stress capacity of the masonry shear walls responsible for carrying lateral loads, traditional brickwork masonry structures considered to be designed only under vertical service loads have been badly affected by the past severe earthquakes. The vulnerability of the existing masonry buildings can be decreased considerably by employing efficient retrofitting methods. This research work primarily aims to investigate experimentally cyclic behavior of aerated concrete block masonry walls before and after application of a special fiber retrofitting system. The investigated retrofitting system consists of multi-axial hybrid fabric made of alkali resistant glass polypropylene fibers for earthquake protection and white cement based plaster mortar with natural hydraulic lime. Another type of mortar with different material content was also tested to assess the adherence effect to the seismic retrofitting textile. The experimental results of this study were given with respect to force-displacement curves comparatively for all considered test specimens. It is concluded that the strength and the ductility capacity increased considerably by applying of the seismic textile, especially for two-sided retrofitting application with expanded glass granular made plastering.