Experimental Studies on Brick Masonry Elements with Geo-fabric Bed Joint Reinforcement

Abstract

This work focuses on the behavior of brick masonry elements with and without geo-fabric as bed joint reinforcement. The geo-fabrics are new geo-synthetic composite material used for several civil engineering applications to enhance the properties of structures. In this present work, geo-fabric is used as a bed joint reinforcement in different masonry elements like prisms, triplets, and wallets. A total of 12 masonry wallet (700 × 700 × 230 mm) specimens, i.e., six strengthened with geo-fabric and six without geo-fabric, were tested under 2000 kN loading frame for uni-axial and diagonal compression. The effect of strength on the compressive strength of the prisms was discussed. Moreover, the effect of geo-fabric on the bond strength, modulus of elasticity, and shear stress behavior of the specimens was analyzed. The test indicates that geo-fabric-strengthened brick masonry elements showed a better performance compared with un-strengthened controlled specimens.