Brick Masonry Columns Externally Wrapped with Steel Wires under Concentric and Eccentric Loads

Abstract

This paper discusses an experimental investigation of clay brick columns that are externally strengthened by steel wire collars wrapping the horizontal mortar joints. The study aims to prove the effectiveness of the proposed strengthening technique and detect the efficiency of different numbers of steel collars. Additionally, the effect of eccentric loading is investigated. This paper proves that an analytical expression available in the previous literature can be modified to provide the strength of the equivalent homogeneous cross section in simple compression. To this aim, the biaxial strength domain of the bricks is modified to account for the lateral pressure exerted by the steel collars. Moreover, based on the plane cross-section assumption, moment-axial force domains are derived using mechanical parameters that are experimentally determined for the units, the steel collars, and the masonry under centered compression. Finally, the capacity of these domains to give accurate results in relation to the confinement effect produced by the proposed strengthening technique is discussed.