Different Strategies for the Numerical Modeling of TRM-Reinforced Arches

In the last few years, the reinforcement of masonry arches has been treated with innovative composite materials enable to compensate the typical negligible tensile strength of materials like-masonry. In order to solve compatibility issues mainly related to FRP applications, strengthening techniques based on TRM (Textile Reinforced Mortar) have gained progressively more success. However, from a numerical point of view, the modeling of such reinforced structures can be demanding and hardly applicable by the practitioners. In this paper different numerical approaches are proposed in order to provide useful information on the level of complexity needed to obtain an optimum balance among reliability and computational effort. All the proposed numerical models are based on a 3D heterogeneous approach but with a different level of complexity in modeling the reinforcement. Finally, the results in terms of load-displacement curves are discussed and the advantages and disadvantages of each approach are highlighted