Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Recent Advances in the Straps/Strips Technique for Out-of-plane Strengthening of Load-bearing Masonry Walls

Version 1 : Received: 10 December 2019 / Approved: 11 December 2019 / Online: 11 December 2019 (11:52:18 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Ferretti, E. (2020). Recent Advances in the Straps/Strips Technique for Out-of-plane Strengthening of Load-bearing Masonry Walls. Procedia Structural Integrity, 25, 33-46. Ferretti, E. (2020). Recent Advances in the Straps/Strips Technique for Out-of-plane Strengthening of Load-bearing Masonry Walls. Procedia Structural Integrity, 25, 33-46.

Abstract

As is well known, the main contribution of the FRP strips to the strength of load-bearing walls is an improvement in the in-plane strength. This paper deals with the possibility of applying the FRP strips in way to modify the strengthening mechanism of the FRP reinforcing system, from an in-plane to an out-of-plane strengthening mechanism. In order to achieve this goal, a second reinforcement system – derived from the CAM system (Active Confinement of Masonry) – provides connections between the FRP strips placed on the opposite sides of the wall. This new strengthening technique – called the straps/strips technique – establishes a stiffness constraint that forces the opposing FRP strips to behave like two flanges of an FRP I-beam embedded in the wall. Consequently, the use of FRP strips also improves the flexural strength of the wall. The present paper briefly summarizes the results obtained in previous works with the straps/strips technique and proposes an improvement of this strengthening technique, based on some weak-points emerged in the early experimentations. The paper also shows the results of a further experimental test, performed with the improved straps/strips technique. Finally, the similarity between FRP strips with transversal connection and concrete wythes of a sandwich panel with flexible connectors leads to interpret the behavior of the ideal I-beam in terms of composite action established between the FRP strips. This paves the way for analytical modeling of the straps/strips technique.

Keywords

Masonry walls; Out-of-plane strengthening; FRP strips; Active strengthening techniques; Degree of Composite Action (DCA).

Subject

Engineering, Civil Engineering

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0


×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.