Low Cost Confinement of Masonry Columns

摘要

Masonry structures are prone to extensive damage followed by failure and collapse when subjected to static overloads or loads resulting from wind, earthquake and other natural or man-made events. Thus retrofitting and strengthening of masonry structures, in order to furnish structural ductility and additional strength is of primary importance. Recent earthquakes and terrorist acts have clearly demonstrated that the development of effective and affordable strategies for the strengthening of masonry is urgently needed. As a response to these challenges, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites may offer technically viable solutions. But because of the high cost, FRP's are not often used. In this study an effort has been made to replace FRP with the locally available low cost Tin sheets of the mustard oil containers for the confinement of masonry columns. Columns built with solid clay bricks, commonly found in India and many other countries in residential & historical buildings, were tested under compression static loads. Square masonry columns were tested taking into account the influence of several variables: different strengthening schemes, number of layers and aspect ratio. The results were good enough to make this study a success.