Title:
Masonry Walls Reinforced with FRP Bars Subjected to Out-of-Plane Loading
Author(s):
Gustavo Tumialan, Nancy Torres, Alfonso Quintana, and Antonio Nanni
Publication:
Symposium Paper
Volume:
327
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
22.1-22.14
Keywords:
Deflections; FRP bars; flexural behavior; flexural strength; masonry wall design; new construction
DOI:
10.14359/51713343
Date:
11/1/2018
Abstract:
This article presents the results of a research program on the behavior of masonry walls reinforced with
FRP bars subjected to out-of-plane loads. The article also proposes a preliminary protocol for the flexural design of
masonry walls reinforced with FRP bars. The objectives of this investigation were: (1) evaluate the flexural
behavior of masonry walls reinforced with FRP bars subjected to out-of-plane loads, and (2) develop preliminary
design recommendations. Ten masonry walls, 2 m [6.6 ft] high, were subjected to out-of-plane loads, tested under
quasi-static loading cycles. The test specimens included walls constructed using concrete and clay masonry units,
reinforced with Glass FRP (GFRP) and Carbon FRP (CFRP) bars in different configurations. All the FRPreinforced
masonry walls showed a bilinear moment-deflection curve with one steep slope up to cracking of
masonry and a decrease in stiffness after cracking. The majority of the walls failed due to crushing of masonry in the
compression side. After failure occurred and as the out-of-plane load was progressively removed, the walls returned
to a position close to the initial vertical position. In general, the approaches used to calculate flexural strengths and
deflections provided good agreement with the experimental results.