Case study of structural reinforcement of a masonry building

Abstract

G&P Intech presents a structural reinforcement intervention - case history - carried out on a nineteenth-century villa made of untidy stone masonry located in the municipality of Montecchio Maggiore (VI), Italy.In particular, in order to increase the shear, in-plane and out-of-plane compressive strength of the masonry panels in the building that is the subject of this work, the technique of low-thickness reinforced plastering - FRCM (Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Matrix) - was used, consisting of high-performance basalt fibre meshes immersed in an inorganic matrix of pure natural hydraulic lime. In addition, in order to favour a box-like behaviour of the entire building, walking strips, at the inter-floor level, have been foreseen, realised through the application of ultra-high resistance galvanised steel fabrics UHTSS - SRG SYSTEM (Steel Reinforced Grout) - immersed in an inorganic matrix of pure natural hydraulic lime. Finally, for the third deck on some internal wall faces and on the brick pillar, unidirectional and bidirectional carbon fibre fabrics - CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer) - were used, embedded in an organic epoxy matrix, after regularising the surfaces with an inorganic matrix of pure natural hydraulic lime. All the above systems are certified in accordance with the Ministerial Guidelines issued by the MIT STC. These reinforcement methods allow for a general improvement in the mechanical characteristics of the masonry, both in terms of local crisis phenomena and the overall behaviour of the structure.