Limit Analysis Assessment of Experimental Behavior of Arches Reinforced with GFRP Materials

In this paper, a comparison between results furnished by a 3D FE upper bound limit analysis and experimental results for some reinforced masonry arches tested at the University of Minho (Portugal) is provided. While the delamination from arches support can be modelled only in an approximate way within limit analysis, the aim of the paper is to accurately reproduce the change in the failure mechanism observed in experimentation, due to the introduction of strengthening elements. Both experimental and numerical results show a clear change in the failure mechanism and in the corresponding ultimate peak load. A set of simulations is also performed on reinforced arches previously damaged, to investigate the role played by the reinforcement within a proper repairing procedure. Good correlation with experimental work and numerical simulations is achieved.