Abstract
This paper presents the results of experiments performed on masonry beams subjected to four-point bending. Four types of fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) were used as reinforcement material: chopped glass fiber with epoxy resin,chopped glass fiber with polyester resin,glass fabric cloth with epoxy resin, and glass fabric cloth with polyester resin. In spite of the elastic-brittle behavior of FRPs,the experiments showed significant nonlinearity in load–deflection relationships due to the effect of delamination between the FRP and the masonry. In the second part of this article the behavior of masonry beams strengthened with FRPs is studied analytically. The effect of the reinforcement type (material,thickness, failure stress,and bond strength) on the failure load and ductility of a masonry beam is investigated.
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