The effect of mechanical properties of masonry on the behavior of FRP-strengthened masonry-infilled RC frame under cyclic load

Masonry walls in buildings can change dramatically the behavior of the infill RC frames under lateral loads. Therefore, many attempts were achieved to prevent the brittle collapse which may occur in the masonry infill wall. Under this aim, Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) as a new technique was used. However, previous researches have focused on the FRP itself without considering the mechanical properties of the masonry wall on the efficiency of this rehabilitation way. Consequently, this effect is the main goal of this research.

Finite Element Method (FEM) is performed in this work using Materially Non-linear Analysis (MNA). For more accuracy, the nonlinear bond between the steel reinforcement and concrete is considered together with the slipping between the infill and the bounding frame members. This research explores that the mechanical properties of concrete masonry walls can affect significantly the efficiency use of FRP where low-strength masonry or high-strength one can cause the FRP-repair to be worthless. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.