Shear behaviour of FRP retrofitted masonry with uncertainties in the material properties: parametric study

Abstract

Masonry structures shear failure is generally preceded by a massive cracking development in the mortar joints. For this reason, the mortar joints limit the final strength. Mechanical properties degradation and structural safety loss make the rehabilitation or reinforcement necessary. The reinforcement technique with fiber reinforcement polymers has experimentally proved to be very effective. However, in the present, analytical and numerical capacity to quantify this retrofitting system efficiency is still subject of research. In order to improve these intervention techniques it is necessary to have more experimental data and a numerical tool to simulate their behavior. Although the in-plane mechanical behaviour of unreinforced masonry and masonry retrofitted with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) laminates has been studied by several authors, the analytical modelling of mechanical behaviour of masonry remains an open problem, due to its natural variability and inhomogeneity. A coupled damaged-plasticity model in which bricks and mortar are separately modelled (micro approach) is considered to carried out a parametric study of in plane shear behavior of unreinforced and FRP retrofitted scaled masonry walls. Composite materials are simulated as an elastic orthotropic material. Parametric study results are compared with experimental data obtained from unreinforced and FRP reinforced panels subjected to shear loads.