Performance of solid masonry columns after strengthening

Abstract

Brick masonry is one of the widely used materials for the construction of walls and columns in buildings. In many cases, the built walls and columns fail due to excess lateral loads, environmental degradation, and increased loading requirments due to changes in occupancy. In this paper, an experimental was conducted to understand the performance of building columns made of solid clay bricks strengthening with fiberglass and ferrocement techniques materials. In total, six columns were constructed, two columns were control columns (unconfined), two columns were strengthened and confined with fiberglass mesh and plaster, and the other two columns were strengthened and confined with ferrocement. The experimental results showed that the maximum axial load of unconfined specimens can be increased if they are confined by fiberglass or ferrocement systems. Both systems can be used to repair uncollapsed columns which have been loaded close to failure or exposed to strength deterioration.