Experimental Investigation on the Compressive Behaviour of Clay Brick Masonry Columns Confined by FRP

This paper presents the results of an experimental research that was carried out to investigate on the compressive behavior of full size clay brick masonry columns reinforced with Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) wraps. Uniaxial compressive tests were performed on four retrofitted columns and four control specimens. Two masonry strength were considered by varying the mortar grade that was manufactured for reproducing the typical characteristics of existing masonry buildings. Results are presented and discussed in terms of axial stress-strain relationships, failure modes and crack patterns of the specimens tested up to failure. For the limit of investigated variables, the experimental results and observed behaviour are in good agreement with those obtained by other authors, confirming that the use of FRP composites for upgrading existing masonry members can be a good alternative solution to traditional strengthening techniques. However, the paper shows that the use of different theoretical or semi-empirical models, available in literature, leads to different predictions that are generally conservative.