Finite element analysis of the out-of-plane behavior of FRP strengthened masonry panels

In the present study a numerical model is proposed for the response of out-of-plane loaded calcarenite masonry walls strengthened with vertical CFRP strips applied on the substrate by means of epoxy resin. A simplified structural scheme is considered consisting in a beam fixed at one end, subjected to constant axial load and out-of-plane lateral force monotonically increasing. Two different constraint conditions are taken into account: in the first one, the panel is assumed free to rotate at the top end while, in the second one, the rotation is restrained. Three-dimensional finite elements are used for the calcarenite parts and an equivalent constitutive law available in the literature is considered for the compressive behavior of the system ashlar-mortar. Conversely, shell elements are used for modeling the CFRP strips and linear elastic behavior is assumed for the composite while cohesive contact properties are introduced at the FRP-calcarenite interface. The model is validated using both experimental results available in the literature and simplified analytical formulations recently presented by the authors in a previous paper.