Blast response of polymer-retrofitted masonry unit walls

This paper presents recent efforts that used polyurea to reinforce clay brick masonry unit walls in dynamic event. In order to investigate the peak pressure of damage, failure modes and failure mechanisms of spray-on polyurea reinforced clay brick masonry unit walls subjected to blast, six tests were performed. The results of tests suggest that the polyurea layer can have a significant effect on the damage pressure of the clay brick masonry unit wall and aerated concrete block wall. The primary damage of the clay brick masonry unit wall are the fracture of the brick and the mortar crack that extended from top to bottom at the center of the wall. The deformation of clay brick wall is minimal. The failure modes of the aerated concrete block wall are the most mortar crack and dominant entire deformation. The polyurea layer can significantly improve blast resistance, and turn the collapse of unreinforced wall into local mortar joint separation and the development of flexure in the walls. The presence of polyurea coat approach offers the potential advantage of more-efficiently absorbing strain energy of host structure. The masonry unit wall test results clearly indicate that the blast resistance of clay brick masonry far exceeds that of aerated concrete block wall. The polyurea layer can effectively prevent the collapse and structural failure of the wall, and minimize producing deadly fragments of the reinforced walls.