Effectiveness of new generation fabrics for reinforcement of non-tensile resistant materials

摘要

The use of new generation fabrics for structural purposes to reinforce non-tensile resistant materials has become very attractive in recent times. This is due to their particular characteristics such as the high strength, the ability to be corrosion resistant, the ease of application and the negligible influence on the increase in structural mass. Due to the variability of the materials and the different construction techniques, there are no reinforcements that are equally effective for all structural types. Thus it is clear that for these systems it is important to evaluate their overall effectiveness with regard to the material and the support structure. In this article a method was developed for evaluating the effectiveness of these reinforcement systems on the shear strength of wall panels that are unreinforced or reinforced with grout injections. For these evaluations, seventy-two 3D finite element models were constructed of structures obtained by varying the type of masonry, the wall thickness and the reinforcement, and they were calibrated by referring to a database of results from previous experimental shear tests on masonry panels. This analysis made it possible to formulate a mathematical relation to evaluate the effectiveness resulting from the application of fabrics onto masonry structures.