Effect of transversal steel connectors on the behaviour of rubble stone-masonry walls: two case studies in Italy

Multi-leaf masonry walls are very common in historical constructions and have been primarily designed to resist vertical static loads. Recent earthquakes have shown their high vulnerability against dynamic horizontal and static compression loads which can easily produce the detachment of the different leaves and determine important damage and catastrophic consequences. An increasing interest in the conservation of historic masonry constructions has produced a need for new consolidation and retrofitting methods. With the aim of increasing the mechanical characteristics, the overall structural behaviour and ultimately the safety of multi-leaf masonry wall panels against out-of-plane collapse mechanisms, several reinforced techniques have been investigated. In this paper, a new strengthening system which consists in the application of a pre-loaded steel bar enclosed into a fabric protective bag-case, is investigated. The steel-bar connector is inserted into a pre-drilled hole made in the masonry in order to bond the masonry leaves and to prevent the detachment during seismic events; finally cement-based grout is injected at high pressure inside the fabric bag-case. The aim is to increase the collaboration between masonry leaves and increase the wall-capacity. The paper initially describes the reinforcement technique and its fields of application and expected benefits. In the second part, the paper addresses two case studies where this reinforcing method has been recently applied: the medieval castle of Laurenzana, located in the southern Italian region of Basilicata and a coeval 18th-century annex building near-by the Royal Palace of Capodimonte (Naples).