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Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) Systems for Masonry Strengthening

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 16329

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Gian Piero Lignola

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Guest Editor

Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture, University of Naples Federico II, via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
Interests: analysis of historical/monumental and archaeological structures; nonlinear behavior of masonry and reinforced concrete (RC) structures; seismic strengthening of masonry and RC members using advanced materials; finite element analysis of masonry and RC structures; seismic behavior of masonry structures; analysis of hollow bridge piers; strengthening design using composites; modeling of corrosion effects in reinforcement and concrete degradation; use of digital image correlation; telepresence and distributed database for European research infrastructures
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fiber-reinforced composites are presently used in structural strengthening interventions more and more frequently. New materials are joining the “classic” fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) made of long glass, carbon or aramid fibers immersed in polymeric matrices (such as epoxy resins), being widely used and investigated. Fiber (or Fabric) reinforced cementitious matrix/mortar (FRCM) composites are the result of the coupling of grids or meshes, made of the same abovementioned fibers, or even others, more recent in the construction industry, such as basalt, PBO, high strength steel, and inorganic matrices based on lime or cement mortars. This variety of combinations has given rise to many different acronyms (TRC, TRM, FRM, IMG, etc.), all of them attributable to the same class of materials.

Such an assortment is a peculiar aspect that allows designers to tailor interventions to specific needs, but at the same time, it represents the main difficulty encountered in drafting general rules and guidelines.

Undoubtedly, the mortar matrix makes such a class of materials ideal for masonry structures, as mortar is at the same time a component of masonry, in comparison to polymeric matrices. However, the first attempts to adapt the wide knowledge gained for FRPs have revealed some limits and drawbacks, as the substitution of matrix with mortar material jeopardizes and has a crucial impact on the performance of such materials. For this reason, wide research is expected in the near future to fill this gap and to provide peculiar requirements for the optimal design of strengthening interventions.

This Special Issue aims to explore experimental and theoretical research dealing with the peculiar aspects of the behavior of masonry strengthened with this class of materials. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

Experimental results on full scale and scaled down prototypes and structural elements;
Testing of materials to derive structural properties (tensile, bond, etc.);
Capacity models and numerical simulations;
In-plane and out-of-plane behavior;
Confinement;
Seismic strengthening;

Curved structures and masonry walls.

Prof. Dr. Gian Piero Lignola
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Capacity modeling
Experimental testing
Numerical simulations
Masonry strengthening design

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 5452 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Some Key Aspects in the Mechanics of Stress Transfer Between SRG and Masonry

by Giulia Baietti, Tommaso D’Antino and Christian Carloni

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(20), 7303; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10207303 - 19 Oct 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1644

Abstract

The use of composite materials to strengthen masonry structures has become common practice within the civil engineering community. Steel-reinforced grout (SRG), which comprises high-strength steel fibers embedded in a mortar matrix, is part of the family of the fiber-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites that represent a suitable alternative to fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for strengthening existing structures. Although studies on FRCMs have already reached a certain level of maturity, some key issues remain open, such as the role of matrix type and layout, substrate properties, and test rate. This paper focuses on some of these issues. The results of single-lap direct shear tests on masonry blocks strengthened with SRGs are presented to analyze the bond behavior between the composite material and the substrate. Four aspects are considered: (1) the change in the width of the SRG mortar matrix while keeping the width of the fiber sheet fixed; (2) the type of mortar used for the SRG; (3) the influence of the test rate, and (4) the type of substrate (i.e., concrete vs. masonry). The results obtained indicate the active role of the matrix layout and the importance of the test rate, encouraging further investigations to clarify these aspects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) Systems for Masonry Strengthening)

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21 pages, 5349 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Mortar Overlay for Strengthening Masonry Walls by Prism Tests

by Ji-Hoon Yu and Ji-Hun Park

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(18), 6395; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10186395 - 14 Sep 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2550

Abstract

A strengthening method using steel fiber-reinforced mortar (SFRM), proposed for the seismic retrofit of masonry buildings, is verified experimentally in this study. The SFRM is overlaid on masonry walls directly, which is possible to implement while the building is occupied for residence. First, tests of workability and material strengths were conducted for SFRM itself in order to find SFRM mixing ratios appropriate for overlay construction and strengthening. Then, masonry prisms were produced using two types of bricks and strengthened with SFRM for the chosen mixing ratios and test variables such as the number of overlaid sides and the fiber volume fraction. Compressive strength tests and diagonal tension tests for those specimens were conducted. Both compressive and shear strengths were improved the most highly by overlaying the SFRM with a fiber volume fraction of 1.3%, which is the highest among the test variables, on both sides. Overlaid SFRM tends to be detached without cracking almost at the maximum strength in both compression and diagonal tension tests. For red clay brick prisms, the compressive and shear strengths increased by up to 61% and 138%, respectively. For concrete brick prisms, the compressive and shear strengths increased by up to 26% and 67%. Finally, a design formula for the shear strength of strengthened masonry prisms is compared with the experimental results, and it is observed that the design formula gives slightly higher results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) Systems for Masonry Strengthening)

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20 pages, 3477 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Comparison between Design Formulations and Numerical Results for In-Plane FRCM-Strengthened Masonry Walls

by Giovanni Crisci, Francesca Ceroni and Gian Piero Lignola

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(14), 4998; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10144998 - 21 Jul 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3281

Abstract

Strengthening strategies and structural rehabilitation of existing buildings with innovative materials and techniques are today one of the main activities in the field of structural engineering. Externally bonded Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM), materials are spreading as an alternative strengthening technique to the more traditional Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) ones, especially for masonry elements. This research focuses on the assessment of the shear strength of in-plane FRCM-strengthened masonry walls by means of code predictions and numerical results, with particular attention on the interpretation of diagonal compression tests simulated by means of Finite Element (FE) models. Firstly, the various approaches commonly adopted for the interpretation of diagonal compression tests in terms of shear strength were examined, since codes give generally provisions in terms of maximum shear force, while several experimental and numerical results of diagonal compression tests are available in literature. Then, the numerical simulations of diagonal compression tests obtained by several FE analyses in a previous work were examined in light of these different approaches; the corresponding predictions of the shear force are compared with code indications in order to individuate the most reliable approach both for the un-strengthened and the FRCM-strengthened walls. For the latter ones, a detailed analysis of the actual strain levels in the reinforcement was carried out, too, by means of FE analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) Systems for Masonry Strengthening)

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Review

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10 pages, 265 KiB

Open AccessReview

Durability of Textile Reinforced Concrete: Existing Knowledge and Current Gaps

by Mohammad Alma’aitah, Bahman Ghiassi and Ali Dalalbashi

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2771; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062771 - 19 Mar 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2747

Abstract

This paper aims to provide a review of the current literature on the durability of textile-reinforced concrete and mortar (TRC/TRM) composites. Most previous studies have focused on the role of chemical attacks, freeze-thaw conditions, and high temperatures on the mechanical performance of these composites. Information on the long-term performance of TRCs under synergistic action of mechanical and environmental loads is scarce. Considering the variety of fabrics and matrices used for the production of TRC composites, the existing data are still very limited and comprehensive studies are needed in this field. Additionally, due to the lack of standard procedures, different approaches are often followed for durability or post-ageing mechanical tests, or sufficient data on the curing and post-ageing preparation procedures followed are not provided. These have led to incompatibility of the existing data and in some cases contradictory results on the durability of these materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) Systems for Masonry Strengthening)

23 pages, 6014 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Durability of Fabric-Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) Composites: A Review

by Karrar Al-Lami, Tommaso D’Antino and Pierluigi Colombi

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(5), 1714; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10051714 - 02 Mar 2020

Cited by 39 | Viewed by 4987

Abstract

Strengthening and rehabilitation of masonry and concrete structures by means of externally bonded fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) (also referred to as textile reinforced mortar (TRM)) composites was proposed as an alternative to the use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites due to their good mechanical properties and compatibility with the substrate. However, quite limited studies are available in the literature regarding the long-term behavior of FRCM composites with respect to different environmental conditions. This paper presents a thorough review of the available researches on the long-term behavior of FRCM composites. Namely, (i) test set-ups employed to study the FRCM durability, (ii) conditioning environments adopted, and (iii) long-term performance of FRCM and its component materials (mortar and fiber textile) subjected to direct tensile and bond tests, are presented and discussed. Based on the available results, some open issues that need to be covered in future studies are pointed out. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) Systems for Masonry Strengthening)

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