Abstract
The use of composite materials to strengthen masonry structures has become common practice within the civil engineering community. Steel-reinforced grout (SRG), which comprises high-strength steel fibers embedded in a mortar matrix, is part of the family of the fiber-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites that represent a suitable alternative to fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for strengthening existing structures. Although studies on FRCMs have already reached a certain level of maturity, some key issues remain open, such as the role of matrix type and layout, substrate properties, and test rate. This paper focuses on some of these issues. The results of single-lap direct shear tests on masonry blocks strengthened with SRGs are presented to analyze the bond behavior between the composite material and the substrate. Four aspects are considered: (1) the change in the width of the SRG mortar matrix while keeping the width of the fiber sheet fixed; (2) the type of mortar used for the SRG; (3) the influence of the test rate, and (4) the type of substrate (i.e., concrete vs. masonry). The results obtained indicate the active role of the matrix layout and the importance of the test rate, encouraging further investigations to clarify these aspects.
Highlights
The use of composite materials for strengthening existing masonry structures is a topic of great interest among civil engineers
Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) systems, which belong to the family of composite materials, comprise fibers of different kinds, such as glass, steel, aramid, and carbon impregnated with a polymeric matrix
When a unidirectional textile made of high strength steel fibers is employed, fiber-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) are named steel-reinforced grout (SRG)
Summary
The use of composite materials for strengthening existing masonry structures is a topic of great interest among civil engineers. A new type of composite with the same type of fibers organized in an open-mesh textile embedded in an inorganic matrix, instead of a polymeric matrix, has been recently employed Due to their advantages, such as compatibility with different types of substrate and high vapor permeability, these new materials, usually referred to as fiber-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites [4], are considered an effective system to strengthen historical masonry structures [5]. SRGs to the load-carrying capacityand of concrete masonry members These studies increase in the bending [6,7,8], shear [9,10,11], and axial capacity [12,13,14]. A concrete block rather than masonry are used as comparison
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