Diagonal compression of masonry walls strengthened with composite reinforced mortar

The use of inorganic matrix composites to strengthen and retrofit existing masonry and concrete structures has been gaining increasing interest in the last years. Among them, composite reinforced mortar (CRM) systems are a promising solution to increase the shear and flexural capacity of masonry panels. CRMs are comprised of a relatively thin inorganic matrix layer reinforced with a bi-dimensional grid made with high-strength fibers impregnated with an organic matrix. They are compatible with the substrate due to the use of inorganic matrix, have good durability and high-strength-to weight ratio due to the use of reinforcing composite materials. CRM systems are still in their infancy and limited research is available in the literature. In this paper, masonry walls constructed with historical bricks typical of the north of Italy were strengthened with a CRM system including a glass composite grid and a lime-based mortar and were subjected to diagonal compression. Three walls were strengthened with the CRM and one was used as a control specimen. The results obtained showed that the CRM system significantly increased the shear strength of the masonry panels subjected to diagonal compression.