Out-of-Plane Behavior of Masonry Walls Strengthened with Ferrocement

Abstract

Un-reinforced masonry (URM) structures may fail and collapse under out-of-plane loads generated by seismic forces or explosions. Adding a ferrocement overlay onto the URM walls is an effective solution in increasing the ultimate load capacity and ductility. This paper deals with the numerical and experimental studies on the out-of-plane behavior of un-reinforced masonry walls strengthened with ferrocement. The material parameters considered are the volume fraction of reinforcement and the loading area. A numerical model was proposed to simulate the experimental results. The employed material model for masonry wall is based on the theory of Drucker-Prager plasticity taking into account the tension softening behavior, while the ferrocement is modeled as a composite material with linear strain hardening followed by ideal plasticity. The proposed model simulates the load-deflection behavior of the strengthened wall well.