Finite Element Analysis of FRP Strengthened Masonry Walls Subject to In-Plane Loading

Interest in the application of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) for strengthening of masonry buildings has been growing steadily due to their ease of application and favorable structural at tributes. Some of these structural attributes include high ductility, stiffness, corrosion resistance and low weight. Studies have shown that FRP composites can improve the lateral resistance of un- reinforced masonry (URM) walls significantly. Analytical models and numerical calculations using finite element models developed for both cross and grid configurations of FRP strengthening are discussed in this paper. Different FRP strips are applied along the wall diagonals in the form of “X” shape and vertically and horizontally along the wall on one side. The walls were subjected to in-plane loading. Results showed that the application of FRP strips modified the static behavior of the walls due to transfer of tensile stresses from masonry to the FRP strips.