UnReinforced and FRP-reinforced masonry perforated walls: experimental and theoretical analyses

In-plane performance of unreinforced and reinforced masonry were tested in a quasi-statical fashion, by loading perforated brickwork walls with in-plane constant normal force and increasing lateral force up to the collapse. Fifteen full-scale walls with openings were constructed by professional bricklayers, from recovered bricks and lime-mortar, following ancient rules. Six different FRP reinforcements of the walls were tested. Tests and analyses results show that the in-plane ultimate capacity of the unreinforced walls are extre¬m-ely greater than seismic codes recognizes; and that FRP reinforcement drastically enhances the in-plane ultimate capacity, but the lateral strength of current codes is significantly lower even than the test results of the same but unreinforced walls.