Abstract:
Buildings made with unreinforced masonry (URN) are one of the most common kinds
of construction in the world. All of this building stock is vulnerable to destruction in
the event of an earthquake due to its poor capacity to withstand lateral stresses. The
experimental campaign on investigating the structural performance of masonry walls
by conducting diagonal compression tests is described in this study.
In the laboratory, three diagonal compression tests were performed on two specimens
with nominal dimensions of 1.2 x 1.2 x 0.25 m. The major goal was to look at the
structural behavior of two different types of masonry panels: unreinforced and
reinforced.
Mortar type used was type “O” and wall panels were built. A plain wall, a
polypropylene strengthens on one side and the third was a polypropylene strengthen
on both sides. Three diagonal compression tests were carried out completely according
to the American Society for Testing and Materials' technical requirements (ASTM
International). Material properties of masonry component materials were established
for each panel prior to testing.
The ultimate drift and ductility are two more parameters to consider while evaluating
the behavior of URN. URM buildings are subjected to lateral loads as a result of
seismic shaking, which cause lateral deformation of the structure. Ductility is
described as a material's capacity to deform without rupturing, or, in the case of URM
structures, the structure's ability to deform without collapsing. The decrease in stiffness
was often noticed at load levels around the ultimate load, when the first crack forms
but is unable to grow owing to the existence of external reinforcement.
iv
The testing findings revealed that the panel's shear strength is highly influenced by the
mortar type (mortar strength), since the fractures spread through the joints without
harming the bricks in all cases.
The highest shear strength was achieved by W3-PP-2s, 0.376 MPa which was 4 times
higher than the shear strength of the plain panel of W1. Additionally, W3-PP-2s
achieved higher ultimate diagonal load of 159.424 kN. W3-PP-2s, on the other hand,
had a lower deformation capacity and were more brittle than plain panels, with an
ultimate drift ratio of 0.434.
