Retrofitting of Masonry Vaults by Basalt Textile-Reinforced Mortar Overlays

ABSTRACT

In a period characterized by the urgent need of enhancing the safety level of the building stock, including architectural heritage, externally bonded textile-reinforced mortar (TRM) systems are emerging as a particularly advantageous strengthening solution. Their use on unreinforced masonry arched members appears one of the most promising fields of application, but an improved understanding still needs to be gained on the behavior of TRM retrofitted interstorey vaults. This article describes an experimental investigation on full-scale masonry vaults, provided with buttresses and backfill, reinforced with basalt textile-reinforced mortar (BTRM) overlays either at the intrados or at the extrados. Cyclic load was applied at 1/3 span over the backfill. Digital Image Correlation was used to detect full-field displacements and map crack development. Both strengthening solutions proved effective in delaying crack occurrence and improving arch-fill interaction, enhancing both load-carrying and deflection capacity. A limit analysis-based method provided reliable ultimate strength estimates for engineering design and assessment purposes.

KEYWORDS:

• Arches
• composites
• design method
• digital image correlation (DIC)
• fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM)
• full-scale testingstrengthening

Acknowledgments

This work was carried out within the Research Projects “SISMI” (Years 2018-2020, Grant N. 51136) and “SICURA” (Years 2018-2020, Grant N. 22535), funded by Regione Lazio, and “Composites with inorganic matrix for sustainable strengthening of architectural heritage” funded by the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MAECI, Years 2016-2018, Grant N. PGR00234). Funding is acknowledged also from the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR), in the frame of the Departments of Excellence Initiative 2018-2022, attributed to the Department of Engineering of Roma Tre University. Finally, Kerakoll SpA (Sassolo, MO, Italy) is acknowledged for cofounding this research and providing reinforcement materials.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Regione Lazio [22535,51136];Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MAECI) [PGR00234];Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) [Departments of Excellence 2018-2022];Kerakoll SpA [Research agreement].