In-plane shear behaviour by diagonal compression testing of brick masonry walls strengthened with basalt and steel textile reinforced mortars

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental study of the structural behaviour of masonry walls retrofitted with Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) to improve their in-plane shear strength and deformation capacity. The experimental programme consists in diagonal compression testing of ten specimens of clay brick and lime mortar masonry retrofitted with three different TRM systems: i) continuous bidirectional grids of basalt TRM, ii) discrete bands of unidirectional steel TRM and iii) continuous basalt TRM on the wall’s inner face and bed joints structural repointing with near surface mounted helical stainless steel bars on the wall’s outer face. Two of the specimens were tested two times, i.e. in the unreinforced condition and subsequently in the repaired configuration including basalt TRM retrofitting. The experimental results show that the adopted TRM solutions produce a beneficial increase of shear resistance and ductility, making them suitable for seismic retrofitting and post-earthquake repair.