Abstract:

This paper deals with the strengthening effect of basalt fiber-reinforced polymer ( BFRP) for masonrywalls based on the low-cyclic loading tests of masonry walls before and after the strengthening in a mixed configuration.In the investigation,first,the effects of reinforcement amount and pre-damage condition before the strengtheningon the seismic performances of masonry walls are discussed.Then,the ultimate bearing capacity,ultimatedrift,hysteresis and skeleton curves,stiffness degradation and BFRP strain of different strengthened walls are comparedand analyzed.The results show that the strengthening with BFRP helps to improve the ultimate bearing capacityand seismic performances of masonry walls,that the strengthened specimens exhibit a flexural-dominant failuremode,with the compressive strength of masonry being the main controlling factor of the shear capacity of thestrengthened walls,and that the degradations of bearing capacity and stiffness of BFRP-strengthened masonry wallsare both significantly postponed.

Key words: basalt fiber-reinforced polymer, strengthening, masonry wall, seismic performance, flexural failure