EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON MASONRY WALLS STRENGTHENED With CFRP

In order to study the ductility and the lateral-load-carrying capacity of the masonry walls strengthened with CFRPs (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer sheets), four pieces of masonry walls subjected to low-frequency cyclic loads and a constant-amplitude vertical load have been tested. As the strengthening efficiency is influenced by the strengthening method, two different strengthening methods have been introduced so as to compare the strengthening efficiency of different strengthening methods. It is found that the masonry walls strengthened with CFRPs are of good ductility and lateral-load-carrying capacity. In order to quantify the improvement of the carrying capacity and performance of the masonry walls after strengthened with CFPRs, some simplified calculating formulae have been developed based on the experimental results, and the theoretical results computed by the formulae agreed reasonably well with the experimental ones. All the results show that CFRP-strengthening-method is one of effective methods to strengthen masonry structures.