GFRP Strengthening and Applications of Unreinforced Masonry wall (UMW)

Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) composites are more and more used in the building trade for the set up of reinforcing and strengthening applications devices. As known, GFRP composites offer higher strength and Young modulus than traditional steel devices. The majority of these buildings were built before any provisions for earthquake loadings were established. The failures and damages reported in recent earthquakes attest to the need for efficient strengthening procedures. The effectiveness of increasing the shear strength of brick masonry coating with epoxy-bonding by Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) overlays to the exterior surfaces was evaluated. Out-of-plane failures are common in unreinforced masonry wall (UMW) constructed in seismic regions. This paper deals with the experimental characterization of the mechanical tensile and shear bond behavior of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) sheets externally glued on masonry wall, in terms of load capacity and stress distribution along the bonded length. A combined experimental program was conducted to study the out-of-plane shear behavior of (i) Burned Clay Brick Masonry Walls and (ii) Strengthened with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) over the Burned Clay Brick Masonry Walls surface.