BERNAT-MASO, ERNEST1; GIL, LLUIS2

1) Lecturer, Polytechnic University of Catalonia-BarcelonaTECH, Strength Materials and Engineering Structures Department, ernest.bernat@upc.edu

2) Professor, Polytechnic University

Extending the life cycle of the existing masonry buildings is a sustainable requirement. Second order bending collapse by in-plane loads is a critical failure mode of load-bearing masonry walls and strengthening them is a mandatory need for maintenance of existing buildings. This contribution analyse the performance of the Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) technology. An experimental campaign is referred to study the response of this strengthening system. In addition, numerical simulations have been performed to model the tests and enhance the study range considering different wall geometries, number of TRM layers and the possibility of strengthening both sides of the wall. The validated numerical simulations show that a thin mortar layer in the compression side of the walls might lead to an additional increase of extra strength with TRM system.

Keywords: Textile Reinforced Mortar, Strengthening, Brickwork, Numerical Simulation