ABSTRACT
To improve the seismic out-of-plane performance of unreinforced masonry (URM) walls, three different types of strengthening techniques using welded wire mesh (WWM), a low cost material prevalent in India, basalt fibre mesh (BFM) and basalt fibre reinforced polymer (BFRP), sustainable composites comprising of natural fibres, are considered in the present study. The experimental study includes mechanical characterization of masonry and retrofit materials using uniaxial compression and tension tests, respectively. One-way out-of-plane flexural behaviour of URM and strengthened masonry is studied by testing a large number of masonry wallettes perpendicular and parallel to bed-joints under two-point (line) loading. The study also includes testing of full-size H-shape masonry walls simulating real boundary conditions, in two-way reversed cyclic bending under airbag loading. The experimental results for flexural strength, deformation, and energy absorption capacity are compared. The present study also identifies appropriate non-dimensional parameters to quantify the relative amount of reinforcement in different specimens for direct comparison of test results.
