Masonry confinement with SRP composites

The application of Steel fiber Reinforced Polymer (SRP) as a means of increasing the capacity of masonry columns is investigated in this study. The behavior of 23 solid-brick specimens that are externally wrapped by SRP sheets in low volumetric ratios is presented. The specimens are subjected to axial monotonic load until failure occurs. Two widely used types of masonry columns of differing square cross-sections were tested in compression (square and octagonal cross-sections). Octagonal cross-section masonry columns are common in many historical constructions and no data are present in bibliography on their mechanical behavior. Two different configurations of the reinforcing system were investigated: SRP sheets are applied as external reinforcement along the perimeter of the masonry columns in the form of continuous and discontinuous wrap, respectively. To elaborate, in the first case the confinement was provided by a continuous laminate; whereas in the second case the confinement was provided by three SRP strips, 100 mm wide and 200 mm. It is concluded that SRP-confined masonry behaves very much like fiber reinforced polymers (FRP)-confined masonry. Confinement increases both the load-carrying capacity and the deformability of masonry almost linearly with average confining stress. A comparative analysis between experimental and theoretical values computed in compliance with the Italian Council of Research (CNR) was also developed.