Experimental and Numerical Study on the Behavior of Small-Scaled Masonry Prisms and Beams Strengthened with ECC

Abstract

The effect of the ductile engineered cementitious composites (ECC) on the unreinforced masonry (URM) prisms and beams was investigated through the appropriate experiments. The objective of the study was to propose a cost-effective strengthening scheme using a low-cost ECC which was prepared using polyester fibers that possessed moderate tensile strength and ductility. The performance of masonry prisms and beams was investigated with different strengthening schemes. Test results showed that with the application of the ECC layer, the strength of masonry could be significantly improved under flexural loads, and the brittle collapse was mitigated. The ECC retrofitted masonry prism possessed a maximum increase in strength and stiffness of 74% and 50%, respectively. A numerical model was developed based on the basic mechanical properties and the interfacial properties of the individual elements (ECC, brick, and mortar). The numerical model was able to accurately predict the peak strengths and the failure modes of the masonry prisms and the beams.