INFLUENCE OF SISAL FIBERS IN HOLLOW CONCRETE BLOCK STRUCTURAL MASONRY

The mechanical performances of masonry elements made of concrete and natural sisal fibers was experimentally investigated. Compression tests were carried out on individual hollow blocks, prisms and small-size walls made of hollow blocks both in plain concrete and in fiber-reinforced concrete. Fibers were found to decrease the strength of the individual blocks, but to increase their ductility. This has beneficial effects on the strength of the walls. Numerical models were also developed to predict the nonlinear behavior of the blocks. The smeared crack model implemented in the commercial FE program DIANA allowed the nonlinear behavior of the blocks to be qualitatively captured, provided that suitable boundary conditions are used.