Using of Textile Reinforced Concrete Wrapping for Strengthening of Masonry Columns with Modified Cross-section Shape

This contribution deals with the issue of strengthening of brick masonry columns by thin layer of textile reinforced micro-concrete. The original columns of dimensions 290 × 290 × 1040 mm used for the performed experimental program consisted of sixteen layers of ceramic bricks jointed in lime-cement mortar. Used masonry achieved calculated characteristic compressive strength 5.3 MPa that presents commonly used grades of masonry. Textile reinforcement made of alkali resistance glass by Saint-Gobain Company was applied in two layers. The lower layer covered the whole surface of columns the second was added in the form of strips 300 mm wide on the bottom, top and the middle part of the columns. Present solution brought the only slight increasing of the load capacity due to significant concentration of tensile stresses in the corners of column. Additional set of masonry columns was prepared with the modified shape of the cross-section by cutting off approximately 30 mm of the corners. Newly formed polygonal cross-section shape of the columns brought more effective utilization of the reinforcing layers and significant increasing of the structure load capacity.