Clay Brick Masonry Research Articles

Out-of-Plane Flexure of Masonry Panels with External Thermal Insulation

The combined seismic and energy retrofit of existing aged buildings represents a topic of importance for the building stock. The current study investigates the out-of-plane performance of a specific type of thermo-insulation scheme with panels attached on the external facades of multistory buildings. The investigation was carried out through flexure tests of prototype masonry specimens. From the comparison of their flexural performance, with or without thermo-insulating attachments, the influence of thermal insulation on the out-of-plane behavior of clay brick masonry is demonstrated. It was found that when the thermo-insulating attachment is in tension from such out-of-plane flexure of the masonry facade it performs in a satisfactory way and gives an increased flexural capacity for the assembly. The thermal insulating panels, although partially debonded from the masonry substrate at a limit-state, do not collapse, even when the masonry panel develops large flexural cracks. This is due to the presence of the used plastic anchors. When the thermo-insulating panel is subjected to compression during such an out-of-plane flexure the resulting increase in the out-of-plane load bearing capacity is relatively small. Based on these observations it can be concluded that such thermo-insulating panels may also lead to a less vulnerable seismic performance than that of the same masonry panel without this type of thermo-insulating attachment. This was also confirmed when the in-plane behavior was considered from a separate investigation already published. The employed numerical modeling was successful in simulating the most important aspects of the out-of-plane response of the tested masonry wallets with or without thermo-insulating attachments. The good agreement with observed performance as well as the general nature of this numerical simulation confirms its validity for further use.

In-plane lateral cyclic behaviour of lime-mortar and clay-brick masonry walls in dry and wet conditions

This paper presents an experimental investigation into the structural and material response of ambient-dry and wet clay-brick/lime-mortar masonry elements. In addition to cyclic tests on four large-scale masonry walls subjected to lateral in-plane displacement and co-existing compressive gravity load, the study also includes complementary tests on square masonry panels under diagonal compression and cylindrical masonry cores in compression. After describing the specimen details, wetting method and testing arrangements, the main results and observations are provided and discussed. The results obtained from full-field digital image correlation measurements enable a detailed assessment of the material shear-compression strength envelope, and permit a direct comparison with the strength characteristics of structural walls. The full load-deformation behaviour of the large-scale walls is also evaluated, including their ductility and failure modes, and compared with the predictions of available assessment models. It is shown that moisture has a notable effect on the main material properties, including the shear and compression strengths, brick–mortar interaction parameters, and the elastic and shear moduli. The extent of the moisture effects is a function of the governing behaviour and material characteristics as well as the interaction between shear and precompression stresses, and can lead to a loss of more than a third of the stiffness and strength. For the large scale wall specimens subjected to lateral loading and co-existing compression, the wet-to-dry reduction was found to be up to 20% and 11% in terms of stiffness and lateral strength, respectively, whilst the ductility ratio diminished by up to 12%. Overall, provided that the key moisture-dependent material properties are appropriately evaluated, it is shown that analytical assessment methods can be reliably adapted for predicting the response, in terms of the lateral stiffness, strength and overall load-deformation, for both dry and wet masonry walls.

Experimental Investigation of CFRP Strengthened Unreinforced Masonry Walls with Openings

ABSTRACT Several conventional rehabilitations and strengthening techniques are available depending on the purpose required for unreinforced masonry (URM) walls. Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) retrofitting is one of these techniques which increases the shear capacity and overall post-strengthening performance of the walls. This study aims to experimentally explore shear behavior of URM walls with openings that were strengthened by CFRP strips. For this purpose, five solid clay brick masonry wall specimens having a central opening with dimensions of 315 × 230 mm were fabricated and then strengthened using double-sided diagonal CFRP strips with different thickness and surface area. All these specimens were tested under combined in-plane monotonic lateral load and constant axial load. It was concluded that for a given FRP reinforcement amount, a single-layer four-strip configuration results in slightly higher shear strength when compared with a double-layer two-strip configuration. Furthermore, in-plane shear strength of CFRP strengthened URM walls with opening was also estimated by existing analytical models in the literature.

Impact of retrofitting work on vulnerability reduction of local buildings in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Rapid urbanisation of Afghan cities without proper construction regulation has exposed their population to a high risk of damage from disasters such as earthquakes. With the growing construction of local non-engineered buildings and an existing level of hazard of 0.8 g, a high risk of casualties and building damage threatens Kabul in the event of a disaster. This study reports and evaluates a recent retrofitting project in Kabul City by ‘Project for City Resilience’, carried out under the supervision of the United Nation Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) for 48 retrofitted sun-dried clay brick masonry buildings in Kabul. The project was executed by local masons and welders who were trained as a part of the project, and the main tasks included installation of an additional steel frame, additional reinforced concrete foundation ring, ceiling replacement and wall strengthening (via mesh and plaster). After a visual assessment of retrofitted buildings considering the original retrofitting design and actual work done, a vulnerability index for retrofitted buildings was developed based on a behaviour modifier factor, which was assigned to each retrofitting activity using a combination of values and a proportion of scores for each retrofitting activity. The results indicate that training of local masons and welders to undertake retrofitting activities could decrease the damage ratio by 15% – 20% for peak ground acceleration values of 0.3 g and higher. The methods mentioned in this study can be used to make existing sun-dried clay brick masonry buildings sufficiently resistant to earthquakes of moderate-to-severe intensity.

Out-of-plane behaviour of clay brick masonry walls retrofitted with flexible deep mounted CFRP strips and additional single-sided FRCM overlay

The deep mounting of CFRP strips to masonry using a flexible adhesive was developed as a minimally-invasive and cost-effective out-of-plane seismic retrofitting technique for unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings. Previous experiments on one-way spanning full-scale walls confirmed the significant added value for out-of-plane lateral resistance and displacement capacity for the Flexible Deep Mounted (FDM) CFRP strips retrofitted walls with respect to unreinforced masonry. This out-of-plane performance could be further enhanced by the addition of a single-sided Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) overlay to FDM CFRP strips retrofitted walls. The purpose of the current experimental campaign was primarily to investigate the out-of-plane performance of one-way spanning walls retrofitted with both FDM CFRP strip and a single-sided FRCM overlay. The results of the experiments confirmed the significant added value for out-of-plane lateral resistance of walls with the proposed retrofit combination with respect to the URM and solely FDM CFRP retrofitted walls. A cross section analysis using non-linear and linear material models for the used components was proposed. The model provided an overestimation of the lateral moment capacity for walls that were solely retrofitted with FDM CFRP strips for high mid-span displacement. For walls that were additionally reinforced with a single-sided FRCM overlay, the model provided a good approximation of both the internal moment versus curvature and the lateral moment versus mid span displacement relationships.

Masonry columns confined with fabric reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) systems: A round robin test

The conservation and the preservation of existing masonry buildings, most of them recognized as cultural heritage, require retrofitting techniques that should reduce the invasiveness and assure reversibility and compatibility with the substrate. In this perspective, the strengthening system should be able to improve the bearing capacity of the structural member and, at the same time, to assure mechanical and material compatibility. The use of Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) composites is now recognized to be suitable for these purposes. Indeed, the inorganic matrix has comparable properties with respect to the existing historical mortars while the fabric has relevant tensile strength. At the same time, these systems assure satisfactory level of reversibility (or at least removability). In this scenario, the present research aims to investigate the FRCM-confinement of masonry columns focusing on the influence of specific parameters, still poorly investigated, in order to deeply understand their effect on the mechanical response. In particular, the experimental variables are: the type of masonry substrate (Tuff and clay brick with lime-based mortar), the type of FRCM system (glass dry mesh + lime-based mortar and steel mesh + lime-based mortar) and the number of plies (1, 2 and 3). In addition, a detailed experimental characterization of the utilized materials has been carried out, including bond tests between the reinforcement and the substrate. The results evidenced that the FRCM is an effective solution for masonry columns confinement once a proper design is performed, taking into account all involved parameters. The different strengthening systems exhibited different failure modes. Generally, a single ply of external reinforcement produced a negligible increase of bearing capacity. Both strengthening systems applied with multi-ply strengthening schemes produced a significant increase in terms of strength and ultimate axial deformation. This benefit was observed for both Tuff and clay masonry columns. Two available design-oriented formulas, reported in the Italian CNR (National Research Council) and ACI (American Concrete Institute) guidelines have been utilized, in order to further investigate their accuracy, mostly in the case of multi-layered reinforcement. The performed comparisons highlight that the two design relationships provide similar and accurate results when referred to the GFRCM (Glass-FRCM) system in 1- and 2-layer configurations, while the predictions appear conservative when 3 layers of GFRCM are utilized, for both masonry types. Considering the SRG (Steel Reinforced Grout) system, the results predicted by the two models are more scattered, mostly when the number of layers increases. In addition, the formulation proposed by CNR appears more accurate in the case of Tuff masonry while the ACI predictions are closer to the experimental results in the case of clay brick masonry.

Experimental investigation on BFRCM confinement of masonry cylinders and comparison with BFRP system

Fabric reinforced cementitious mortar (FRCM) materials have started to be employed during the last years with the aim of overcoming the drawbacks related to the use of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, proving to be potentially suitable for strengthening masonry structures. Moreover, the will to develop materials able to guarantee a certain degree of sustainability without renouncing to adequate mechanical properties has drawn the attention to the use of basalt fibres, which appear to be a valid alternative to carbon or glass fibres. This work presents an experimental investigation on a basalt FRCM (BFRCM) system to confine circular masonry columns, aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of this system in comparison with data obtained by basalt FRP (BFRP) jacketing. A total of eighteen clay brick masonry cylinders were prepared by using two different assembling schemes and subjected to uniaxial compression. Six cylinders were tested as control specimens, while the rest were reinforced by using either one or two layers of basalt textile. Traditional measuring instruments were integrated with the digital image correlation (DIC) technique. The experimental results are presented in terms of stress–strain curves, and strength and strain enhancements of confined cylinders compared to control specimens. The failure modes are also discussed. All outcomes are compared to those obtained by the authors in a similar study performed on BFRP-confined cylinders realized with the same manufacturing in order to have an effective comparison.

Performance of two innovative stress sensors imbedded in mortar joints of new masonry elements

Many historical cities enjoy the presence of masonry buildings with inestimable historical, artistic and cultural value. Old masonry buildings often suffer structural deficiencies, design faults and materials aging process. In recent years, many researchers focused their attention on the opportunities that structural health monitoring (SHM) can ensure for the health state of existing masonry structures, where damage can be difficult to be promptly predicted, pontentially causing abrupt collapses, with high risks for the community.This paper presents an experimental study on the effectiveness of two types of stress sensor for SHM of new masonry elements. Ceramic piezoelectric sensors and capacitive sensors were installed in mortar joints of two series of specimens made of calcarenite stone masonry and clay brick masonry. All specimens were tested under uniaxial compression with displacement control, to assess the effectiveness of sensors in recording pressure variation within the different types of masonry and therefore testing their potential use for SHM applications. Even though both the ceramic and capacitive sensors were designed as stress sensors for concrete structures, their installation within mortar joints provided a good response, based on the comparison with standard measurement devices. Results demonstrate the suitability of the sensors even for SHM of masonry structures.

An experimental and analytical study on the out-of-plane behavior of URM prisms strengthened with SFRC overlays

The observed failures in recent earthquakes have demonstrated the out-of-plane vulnerability of unreinforced masonry walls. An extensive experimental investigation was conducted on the application of hooked steel fibers as reinforcement in concrete overlays for the out-of-plane strengthening of solid clay brick masonry prisms. The variables included the thickness of the overlay (20, 30, and 40 mm), the thickness of the masonry prisms (single-leaf and double-leaf), the strengthening sides (one side and both sides), the overlay loading condition, and the steel fiber content. The test results were compared qualitatively (observations and failure modes) and quantitatively (load–deflection diagrams, ultimate loads, and flexural strengths). Moreover, an analytical model was utilized to evaluate the load-bearing capacity of the experimental results. The SFRC overlays considerably improved the behavior of the specimens in terms of load-bearing capacity and flexural stiffness although the thickness of the SFRC overlays was more effective than the volume fraction of the steel fibers in the overlays.

Experimental in-plane seismic strengthening of masonry infilled reinforced concrete frames by engineered cementitious composites (ECC)

The present study aimed to evaluate the performance of engineered cementitious composites (ECC) retrofit technique for unreinforced hollow clay brick masonry infill wall in non-ductile reinforced concrete (RC) frames subjected to in-plane cyclic loading (quasi-static loading). To this aim, the mechanical properties of ECC and masonry elements were tested. Then, four 1/3-scale, one-story, single-bay RC frames were fabricated. Among these specimens, one frame was tested without infill wall (BF), one frame with unretrofitted infill wall (IF-E0), and specimens IF-SF-E20 and IF-DF-E20-2 were retrofitted by using an overlay ECC on the masonry infill wall on one side and both sides, respectively. The retrofitted specimens provided higher lateral load capacity, stiffness, and energy dissipation capacity up to 215%, 32%, and 102%, respectively, compared to the unretrofitted specimen. Further, the proposed strengthening technique prevented brittle premature failure in the masonry infill walls and partially maintained the integrity of unreinforced infill walls. Also, the obtained backbone curves of specimens were idealized. Based on the results, the displacement ductility factor of the retrofitted specimens decreased up to 50%, but also the force reduction factor and the overstrength factor of them increased up to 19 and 68%, respectively. At the end of the paper, a simplified analytical method is proposed to calculate the peak strength of retrofitted masonry infilled RC frames. The results obtained from this method were close to the experimental results.

Experimental investigation of water absorption and penetration in clay brick masonry under simulated uniform water spray exposure

In this study, we performed an experimental investigation of water absorption and penetration in clay brick masonry exposed to cyclic water spraying by employing a newly developed test setup. Several parameters, including brick absorption properties and different mortar joint profiles, were investigated. The specimens were exposed to a uniform water spray rate ranging between 1.7 and 3.8 l/m2/h, and water absorption and dampness patches on the non-exposed backside (the protected side) of the specimens monitored continuously. The results indicate that the amount of absorbed water is highly dependent on the water absorption coefficient and absorption capacity of the bricks, whereas the mortar joint profiles do not influence water absorption. The first dampness patches on the specimens' backside appeared in the vicinity of the head joint, and the time until the first patch appeared correlated well with water content levels. Accordingly, the first visible dampness patches appeared on the specimens' backside at water content levels corresponding to 50%–60% of full saturation level. Additionally, the specimens' backside reached 90% dampness at water content levels corresponding to 95% of full saturation level. As a feature attributed to the absence of known defects and zero differential air pressure, no measurable amounts of penetrated water could be collected at the specimens’ backside. The newly developed test setup might facilitate verification of moisture simulations and provide a basis for rational decision-making concerning clay brick masonry design and maintenance.

A review on improved construction methods for clay-brick and concrete-block ordinary masonry buildings

ABSTRACT Masonry construction is the leading construction method for building constructions worldwide. Despite their relatively poor seismic performance, masonry buildings have widespread appeal owing to their low construction costs and ease of construction especially in rural and semi-urban centres of developing countries like India. In the recent past, however, innovative techniques in masonry constructions have significantly improved the seismic behaviour of low and medium rise masonry buildings and have satisfactorily performed under strong earthquake ground shaking. This paper critically summarizes the different seismically-improved construction methods for clay-brick and concrete-block ordinary masonry buildings adopted worldwide. While the same method may be applied in different regions of the world, the use of different types of masonry units, however, do not necessarily yield the same results. For regions where the first use of a seismically-improved construction method is contemplated, there is a need to further investigate the efficacy of any method with the locally available materials of the region for economic feasibility and social acceptance of the proposed method.

Masonry panels with external thermal insulation subjected to in-plane diagonal compression

Partial collapse of masonry facades during past strong earthquakes is well documented together with the increased vulnerability due to the presence of thermo-insulation within double wythe masonry. The combined seismic and energy retrofit of existing aged buildings represents a topic of importance for the building stock. The current study investigates the in-plane performance of a specific thermo-insulation scheme with panels attached on the external facades of multistory buildings. Diagonal compression tests of prototype specimens are done to study the influence of thermal insulation on the in-plane behaviour of clay brick masonry panels with or without thermal insulation. It was found that the thermo insulating attachment of the tested type performs in a satisfactory way when subjected to the stress field that arises to these masonry panels when subjected to diagonal compression. The thermo insolating panels, although finally debonded from the masonry substrate, do not collapse, even when the masonry panel develops large diagonal cracks, due to the presence of the used plastic anchors. The presence of such thermo insulating attachments leads to an increase of the in-plane load capacity and to a less brittle behaviour than the one without this thermo-insulation. This may also lead to a less vulnerable seismic performance than that of the same masonry panel without this thermo insulating attachment, although further validation is needed considering also the out-of-plane performance. The employed numerical modeling was successful in simulating the most important aspects of the in-plane response of the tested masonry wallets with or without thermo-insulating attachments. The good agreement with observed performance as well as the general nature of this numerical simulation confirms its validity.

Blast response of clay brick masonry unit walls unreinforced and reinforced with polyurea elastomer

Clay brick masonry unit (CBMU) walls are widely used in building structures, and its damage and protection under explosion loads have been a matter of concern in the field of engineering protection. In this paper, a series of full-scale experiments of the response characteristics of 24 cm CMBU walls unreinforced and reinforced with polyurea elastomer subjected to blast loading were carried out. Through setting 5.0 kg TNT charges at different stand-off distances, the damage characteristics of masonry walls at different scaled distances were obtained. The reinforcement effect of different polyurea coating thicknesses and methods on the blast resistance performance of masonry walls under single and repeated loads were also explored. Five failure grades were summarized according to the dynamic response features of masonry walls. Based on the stress wave propagation pattern in multi-media composite structures, the internal stress distribution of masonry walls were analyzed, and the division basis of the masonry walls’ failure grades was then quantified. Combined with Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM) images, the deformation characteristics of soft and hard segments of polyurea and effects of detonation products on microstructures were revealed respectively, which provides an important reference for the design and application of polyurea in the blast resistance of clay brick masonry walls.

New formulation for predicting diagonal tension capacity of masonry brick walls strengthened with textile reinforced mortar (TRM)

In this paper, a new analytical model for evaluating the in-plane shear capacity of strengthened clay brick masonry walls using textile reinforced mortar is proposed. The accuracy of the proposed model is calibrated with the experimental data. The thickness of masonry wall, the thickness of reinforcement layer, the number of reinforcement layers on each sides of the specimen (fiber percentage), reinforcement configuration (strengthening on one side or both sides of the specimen), and the type of textile reinforcements (alkali resistant-glass textiles or carbon textiles) are the major parameters in the experimental investigations that are considered in the proposed model. The presented analytical model could show a reasonable agreement with the experimental results.

Development of Retrofitting Solutions: Remedial Wall Ties for Masonry Enclosure Brick Walls

The external envelope walls of a significant percentage of the residential building stock in Southern European countries is commonly constituted by infill masonry walls. However, thousands of square meters of this masonry wall typology presents severe issues of cracking and instability, related to the incorrect and deficient support conditions of the outer brick panel of the double-leaf wall solution. In this work, an experimental campaign divided in two phases has been performed to evaluate the effectiveness of two different remedial wall ties retrofitting techniques (Solution A and Solution B) used for double leaf horizontally hollowed clay brick masonry façades. The first phase of the experimental campaign was performed on 120 isolated specimens of horizontally hollowed clay bricks, resorting to post- and pre-NP EN 771-1 brick exemplars (that is, new and pre-existent aged bricks, respectively), as well as on 4 square wallettes, with a side length of 1.20 m, considered as representative of a real scale scenario, for evaluating the two remedial wall ties retrofitting techniques. The second phase of the experimental campaign was performed to fully characterize the different failure types as well as the slipping phenomena observed in the first phase of the experimental campaign, focusing solely on the retrofitting technique Solution B and comprises 24 tests performed on isolated specimens, resourcing to new and pre-existent aged bricks as well. The results obtained by the use of these techniques revealed an average anchorage strength value ranging from 0.25 to 2.5 kN for each tested tie-bar. Solution B reveals an increase of double of the anchorage strength value in comparison to Solution A. In this sense, the global results revealed a suitable applicability of both retrofit studied solutions.

Experimental studies on the dynamic compressive and tensile strength of clay brick under high strain rates

Clay bricks are widely used in masonry structures as well as claddings of the frame structures worldwide. During the service life of the building structures, the clay brick masonry wall might be subjected to dynamic loads such as accidental or terrorist blast loads and wind fragment impacts. In this case, the clay brick masonry wall might perform differently as compared to the static loading case, and one of the key reasons is the change of the mechanical properties of clay brick under high strain rates. However, current studies in strain rate effect on compressive and tensile strength of clay brick materials are very limited, especially on the tensile strength. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the dynamic mechanical properties of clay brick materials under different strain rates. In this paper, experiments are carried out to investigate the strain rate effect on the mechanical properties of clay bricks using different test devices: electronic testing machine, INSTRON high-speed testing machine, and the split Hopkinson pressure bar. Both the static and dynamic properties of clay bricks at the strain rates between 1.0E-6 s−1 and 224 s−1 are studied. Empirical relations between dynamic increase factors (DIF) for the compressive and tensile strength of clay brick and strain rate were also proposed.

Out-of-plane behavior of clay brick masonry walls retrofitted with flexible deep mounted CFRP strips

The installation of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips to deep vertical slots in masonry using a flexible adhesive was developed as a minimally-invasive and cost-effective out-of-plane seismic retrofitting technique for clay brick unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings. The purpose of the current experimental campaign was primarily to investigate the out-of-plane performance of full-scale, flexible deep mounted (FDM) CFRP retrofitted masonry walls. An additional objective was to assess the validity of existing model for determining the out-of-plane capacity of FDM CFRP retrofitted walls. In the experimental testing program, nine full-scale masonry walls were tested, of which six walls were retrofitted using the FDM CFRP technique. A new six point-bending test setup was adopted for quasi-dynamic cyclic testing with loading rates up to 30 mm/s. Experimental results confirmed the significant increase for out-of-plane lateral resistance and displacement capacity for the FDM CFRP retrofitted specimens with respect to the URM specimens. By implementing multiple bed joint-crack formation and cyclic degradation of the masonry, the proposed engineering model provided a good approximation of the experimentally obtained moment – mid-span displacement relations.

Pull-out behaviour of near surface mounted steel wire rope bonded to clay-brick masonry

Near surface mounted (NSM) steel wire rope (SWR) provides a cost-effective retrofit solution to improve the seismic performance of clay-brick unreinforced masonry structures. Investigation of the bond strength between the SWR and the clay-brick substrate by means of pull-out tests is presented herein. Various parameters were investigated, including SWR diameter, groove dimensions, SWR bonded length, adhesive types (i.e. epoxy, cement-based grout, and lime-based grout), and compressive strength of the clay-brick masonry substrate. The NSM-SWR was adhered to assemblages of vintage solid clay-bricks and subjected to monotonic and semi-cyclic pull-out testing, with the results being presented herein. A pull-out strength prediction model is proposed based on experimental findings.

TRM reinforced tuff and fired clay brick masonry: Experimental and analytical investigation on their in-plane and out-of-plane behavior

The paper presents the results of an experimental campaign aimed at investigating the in-plane and out-of-plane behavior of tuff and fired clay brick masonry panels reinforced by a commercial, not yet tested, Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) system. The TRM, consisting of hydraulic lime mortar coupled with a bidirectional glass fabric (total thickness of 30 mm), was applied on both sides of the panels and connected through stainless-steel helical bars. First, a mechanical characterization of the TRM system was carried out, according to recent guidelines (AC434 and CNR-DT215) by means of tensile tests and single-shear bond tests on the two different substrates. Then, the effectiveness of the reinforcement was investigated through uniaxial compression, diagonal compression and three-point bending tests on masonry panels. After that, experimental results were compared to the predictions of recent guidelines and analytical models available in the literature, by using the mechanical parameters obtained from the TRM mechanical characterization. TRM showed to be very effective in increasing the in-plane shear strength of tuff panels, of about 170%, whereas in the case of fired clay brick ones the increase was limited to 33%. Besides, the diagonal compression strength of reinforced specimens seemed to be strongly influenced by the mortar matrix, instead of by the fabric reinforcement, as it usually happens i.e. for Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) systems. Thus, novel simplified analytical formulations to predict the shear strength of reinforced panels by only considering the contribution of the TRM matrix were provided, discussed and compared to current analytical approaches for FRCM systems. As regards the out-of-plane behavior, the TRM system significantly increased the out-of-plane bending strength and ductility of both tuff and fired clay brick panels. The applicability of current analytical approaches, as well as possible amendments, was also investigated. Finally, the compressive behavior of the walls was not substantially modified by the reinforcement, reasonably due to the low axial stiffness of the connectors and, to a minor extent, because they were dry inserted within the masonry and simply folded over the glass fabric.