Bond performance in NSM-strengthened masonry brick

Abstract

The use of Near Surface Mounted (NSM) Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) for strengthening masonry structures can be a suitable substitute for Externally Bonded Reinforcement (EBR) technique. NSM technique has many advantages such as larger bonded area, better anchorage capacity, higher resistance, higher percentage exploitation of the FRP and reduced installation time. However, information regarding the effectiveness of this strengthening technique for masonry structures is scarce and characterization of the critical mechanisms such as bond behavior is necessary. This paper presents experimental investigation of the bond performance in NSM-strengthened brick specimens. CFRP laminates are used for NSM strengthening of masonry bricks with different bonded lengths. The bond between FRP and masonry substrate is investigated by performing conventional pull-out tests and the experimental results are presented and discussed.