Published on Nov 30, 2023
Masonry is a composite material consisting of units and mortar joints. A masonry wall is constructed by laying pieces of bricks on top of each other using mortar as a cohesion mechanism.It is commonly accepted that Unreinforced Masonry (URM) structures are the more susceptible during earthquakes. The poor performance of URM walls subjected to lateral loads is due to insufficient shear and flexural capacity of in-fills.Fiber-polymer composite and other reinforcement techniques suffer from certain drawbacks.To overcome these drawbacks a new class of composite system has emerged to replace organic binders by cementitious matrix, this composite system is known as Fabric reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM).
Masonry is normally used for the construction of foundations, walls, columns and other similar materials structural components of buildings. The basic advantage of masonry construction lies in the fact that in load-bearing structures, it performs variety of functions such as supporting loads, subdividing space, providing thermal and acoustic insulation, affording fire and weather protection etc. Depending on the type of building units used, masonry maybe of different types, namely Stone masonry, Brick masonry, Concrete block masonry, Reinforced brick masonry, Composite masonry. Masonry is generally a highly durable form of construction. However, the material used, the quality of the mortar and workmanship, and the pattern in which the units are assembled can strongly affect the durability of the overall masonry construction.
The commonly used definition for masonry is assemblage of individual units that might be of the same or different kind, and that have been bonded together in some way to perform intended function. From a structural engineer perspective, masonry may be classified as Plain masonry and Reinforced masonry. Plain masonry or unreinforced masonry refers to natural or manufacturing building units of burned clay concrete, stone, glass, gypsum, or other similar building unit or combination thereof, made to be bonded together by a cementitious agent. Plain masonry is similar to plain concrete which relies on high compressive strength to resist loads and possesses little tensile strength. Therefore, it cannot be used as an efficient building material for structures or structural element that must resist tensile forces. For example, plain masonry, because of its poor tensile resistance, cannot be used for horizontal spanning structural elements such as beams and slabs that resist loads in flexure and (hereby are subjected to tensile stresses) Similarly it is also used for columns subjected to eccentric loads that will produce tensile stress in them. To alleviate this drawback, plain masonry is reinforced with steel reinforcing bar; this form of masonry construction is referred to as reinforced masonry.
Keywords : Masonry, Reinforcement, Geo-grids, shear strength, Flexure
To investigate performance of suitable Geo-grids used for enhancement of reinforcing characteristics in masonry members.
To study the performance of Geo-grid strengthened masonry members by conducting basic tests.
Basic tests carried out on clay brick masonry elements and Basic tests on cement mortar.
Compression test on Geo-grid reinforced and without reinforced masonry wallets.
Shear test on Geo-grid reinforced sand without reinforced masonry Triplets.
Diagonal compression test on Geo-grid reinforced and without reinforced masonry wallets.
In this present work performance of two types of Geo-grids (Polypropylene & Polyester) with masonry members are evaluated for different characteristics. The results are compared with normal controlled specimens. The results shows that both the Geo-grids shows better performance with masonry elements compare with normal controlled without Geo-grid specimens.
The polyester Geo-grids shows better performance than polypropylene and controlled masonry specimens because of its high ductility and good bond strength with masonry mortars.
Experimental results show that both types of Geo-grids show better tensile characteristics with masonry elements. Further recommended to work for partial confinement of reinforcement in masonry members to enhance the tensile and ductile properties.
It is recommended to conduct further tests on Geo-grid reinforced Masonry in-filled concrete frames under lateral loads.
