Diagonal Shear and Out-of-Plane Flexural Strength of Fabric-Reinforced Cementitious Matrix–Strengthened Masonry Walletes

AbstractStrengthening of unreinforced masonry walls is essential to mitigate their brittle failure during natural hazards like earthquakes. An experimental program was conducted to evaluate the diagonal shear and out-of-plane flexural strength of masonry walletes strengthened using glass fabric–reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM). The performance of walletes strengthened in two modes of wet lay-up application: direct and sandwich, which differ in the sequence of placing the fabric, was studied. Also, the contribution of mechanical anchors was investigated in enhancing the performance of masonry subassemblages. Test results showed that with the provision of FRCM, the strength and ductility of masonry could be significantly improved under both shear and flexural loads, and the brittle collapse could be mitigated. Both methods of FRCM application showed comparable results, and it was observed that the mechanical anchors were helpful in attaining higher deformability and in containing the broken fragments of masonry. Finally, the strength parameters obtained from these tests were compared with those predicted using existing analytical models for strengthened masonry walls.