In the last decades, the scientific interest in the rehabilitation of existing structures had increasingly involved the use of innovative materials and techniques. In particular, the use of Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (FRP) for the strengthening of masonry structures is widely adopted mainly because of the numerous advantages offered by this technique, such as easy installation and achievement of high mechanical performance.
Recently, a new fiber reinforced composite material has been also
developed, in which epoxy resin is replaced by inorganic material (cementitious mortar) aimed at binding the fibers with the substrate. The Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) is usually used with glass, aramidic, or carbon fiber but also with a synthetic polymeric fiber, namely polyparaphenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO), recently investigated with the aim of improving the performance of the confinement system.
In the technical literature several topics are investigated in the field of the rehabilitation of masonries, including the evaluation of the global mechanical behavior of the strengthened structures, the analysis of local mechanisms concerning the bond behavior at the interface between reinforcing system and substrate, the adoption of adequate numerical or analytical models for the simulation of the material properties and structural response of masonry elements and so on.
Within this framework, the proposed research topic is specially addressed to papers focusing on the modeling, experimental evaluation and numerical analysis of the effects of those strengthening methods that make use of innovative techniques such as FRP and/or FRCM systems for masonry structures, with particular reference but not limited to confinement applications and retrofitting of out-of-plane loaded walls.
In the last decades, the scientific interest in the rehabilitation of existing structures had increasingly involved the use of innovative materials and techniques. In particular, the use of Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (FRP) for the strengthening of masonry structures is widely adopted mainly because of the numerous advantages offered by this technique, such as easy installation and achievement of high mechanical performance.
Recently, a new fiber reinforced composite material has been also
developed, in which epoxy resin is replaced by inorganic material (cementitious mortar) aimed at binding the fibers with the substrate. The Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) is usually used with glass, aramidic, or carbon fiber but also with a synthetic polymeric fiber, namely polyparaphenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO), recently investigated with the aim of improving the performance of the confinement system.
In the technical literature several topics are investigated in the field of the rehabilitation of masonries, including the evaluation of the global mechanical behavior of the strengthened structures, the analysis of local mechanisms concerning the bond behavior at the interface between reinforcing system and substrate, the adoption of adequate numerical or analytical models for the simulation of the material properties and structural response of masonry elements and so on.
Within this framework, the proposed research topic is specially addressed to papers focusing on the modeling, experimental evaluation and numerical analysis of the effects of those strengthening methods that make use of innovative techniques such as FRP and/or FRCM systems for masonry structures, with particular reference but not limited to confinement applications and retrofitting of out-of-plane loaded walls.
