Abstract
Recent research on the mechanical characterisation of Steel Reinforced Grout (SRG) has highlighted its excellent performance as strengthening solutions for masonry structures. Using SRG with limited fabric density ensures a good textile-matrix interlocking, preventing at the same time the failure due to slippage or debonding from the substrate. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the use of SRG as in-plane strengthening solution for shear masonry walls composed of handmade solid clay brick and hydraulic lime mortar. Cyclic shear compression tests were carried out on walls strengthened with SRG comprising low density steel sheets (LDS). The SRG was applied on both faces of the walls with a strip configuration, using one and two layers of LDS. The experimental programme aimed to study the influence of the number of textile layers on the in-plane response of strengthened masonry walls in terms of failure mechanism, load-bearing capacity, energy dissipation, and ductility.
Highlights
Due to the availability of the component materials, masonry is one of the oldest construction techniques used worldwide
The specimens retrofitted with a single direction of Steel Reinforced Grout (SRG) underwent large stress concentration at the edges of the strips, leading to the detachment of the SRG layers from the substrate. These results indicate that the efficiency of the reinforcement to enhance the in-plane response is influenced by the orientation of the SRG strips
The experimental programme comprised cyclic shear compression tests, with initial pre-compression equal to 0.30 MPa, on six masonry samples including two unreinforced one and four walls retrofitted with SRG
Summary
Due to the availability of the component materials, masonry is one of the oldest construction techniques used worldwide. A total of seventy-eight samples of unidirectional high strength steel fibre strips, with different bonded length, embedded in a limebased hydraulic mortar were applied on masonry substrate and tested. Similar results were observed by Garcia-Ramonda et al [3] through an experimental programme involving double-leaf clay brick masonry walls retrofitted with SRG of low and medium density steel textiles. Limited research [14, 15] has been done on the influence of the number of textile layers on the in-plane response Within this context, an experimental programme was designed to better understand the in-plane behaviour of clay brick masonry walls laterally loaded under three different configurations: unreinforced, retrofitted with one layer of low density steel textile (LDS), and retrofitted with two layers of LDS. Given the lack of experimental data regarding the bond behaviour between the different layers of LDS, and knowing the critical importance of the bond behaviour on the overall performance of the composite system, this study is expected to provide relevant experimental information for the design of SRG-based retrofitting of masonry structures
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