Mechanical in-plane behaviour of masonry walls reinforced by composite materials: Experimental and analytical approaches

Masonry is a traditional building system in most countries of the world, including France. However, in recent decades, earthquakes have caused significant damage to masonry structures. The possibility of using textile-reinforced concrete or fibre-reinforced polymers to strengthen masonry structures has been recently assessed. This article addresses the effectiveness of externally bonded composite materials, particularly those based on newly developed cementitious matrices, to strengthen masonry structures. Experimental tests were performed in a previous study on six masonry walls, five of which were strengthened on both sides with either textile-reinforced concrete or fibre-reinforced polymers. This experimental campaign has been supplemented to determine the mechanical properties of the materials involved in design models, and it is used to check the potential of analytical models to predict lateral strength. This study identifies the interests and the restrictions governing the use of traditional empirical design approaches (employed for fibre-reinforced polymer-strengthened walls) when next-generation textile-reinforced concrete composites are used as strengthening materials. Adjustments taking into account the specificities of textile-reinforced concrete behaviour have been introduced, and their impact on the relevance of the models has been quantified.