EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON TRIPLET OF PERFORATED BRICKS, PUMICE BLOCKS WITH RETROFITTING BY USING SEISMIC FABRIC

The goal of this study is to evaluate the shear capacity and the crack pattern of the masonry building units after reinforcing application. Experimental investigations were performed to indicate the effect of strengthening by using the seismic textile and the relevant insulation plaster. The reinforcing system is a hybrid multiaxial seismic fabric consisting of alkali resistant glass and polypropylene fibers. The material of this plaster consists of expanded glass granular. For triplet shear tests on perforated bricks and pumice blocks with and without seismic retrofitting, a total of twenty-four specimens were produced. The plaster having thickness of 2 cm and seismic textile was applied only on single side of the triplet specimens. All experimental tests in this study were performed at the structural mechanics laboratories of Sakarya and Düzce University. The maximum vertical load- controlled cylinder with vertical force capacity of 100 kN and with loading speed of 1.5mm/min. is applied perpendicular to the triplet specimens to obtain accurate information about the cracking behavior of the two mortar joints under shear stressing by an internal inductive displacement transducers. The experimental results of this study were given with respect to force-displacement curves comparatively for all considered test specimens. It was observed from the final state of the experiments that all the specimens without retrofitting had a slide failure along the mortar joints. It is concluded that the strength and the ductility capacity increased considerably by applying of seismic textile and relevant plaster.