Performance of masonry shear walls strengthened with steel and aluminum sheething

Abstract

▪ Poor behaviour of masonry structures under seismic action is mainly a consequence of lack of resistance, small deformation capacity, low ductility, as well as due to the fact that they are subjected to high seismic forces as a consequence of large stiffness and considerable weight. Therefore, it is necessary to improve their seismic performance through appropriate consolidation methods.

▪ The systems improve in plane and also out of plane behaviour of masonry panel. The application on both sides is clearly more efficient, but is not always applicable. Because of small deformation capacity of masonry, the proposed systems cannot remove entirely the damages in structure. Due to large in-plane stiffness of masonry walls, the strengthening solution does not avoid completely damage to masonry. A limited amount of damage to masonry has to be allowed in order to take benefit from ductility of the metal used for sheeting. Aluminum is believed to be particularly suitable in this case, due to a more favourable strength-to-stiffness ratio than steel. [excerpt from Technical information]