Keywords: structural engineering, masonry, fibre reinforced polymers, repair, experimental investigation, laboratory.

In the last fifty years, the need of ensuring safeguard and safety to architectural constructions have inspired a number of more and more sophisticated refurbishment techniques and adaptation interventions, attracting a big interest on the debate about the preservation of monumental heritage from many fields.

The inter-disciplinary contribution of a number of disciplines has opened new perspectives in approaching preservations and consolidation issues related to ancient masonry constructions.

Valid alternatives to ordinary refurbishment techniques are nowadays offered by the factory with the development of new materials, such as composites, whose exploitation is particularly suitable for applications related to the restoration and/or reinforcement of ancient constructions (see i.e. Traintafillou [1], El-Badry [2], Briccoli Bati and Rovero [3], Schwegler [4]); on the other hand, the adoption of innovation materials and technologies, including smart materials, is strongly limited since a very deep knowledge of their behaviour and interaction with the structure is required in order to avoid risks of loss or irreversible damage of the heritage.

Under such a perspective, composites are attracting an increasing interest from the factory and research fields; actually they lend themselves to pre-damage and post-damage strategies particularly suitable for ancient constructions since they are able to provide effective and low invasive reinforcement interventions, even if further advances both in theoretical and experimental features are still required.

Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) are basically composites characterised by a polymeric matrix reinforced with continuous fibres (see Traintafillou [1] and Schwegler [4]), which exhibit desirable features, such as high mechanical properties, lightweight, high resistance to chemical agents and corrosion, increased fatigue resistance, reliability and durability, low thickness, adaptability and easy applicability to complex structural shapes, low invasiveness and reversibility.

In the paper, the problem of reinforcing a masonry tissue is approached experimentally, in order to validate the FRP repair technique.

In details the paper focuses on the problem of reinforcing a masonry wall by means of FRP strips. Laboratory results developed on a masonry panel reinforced or not by means of strips made of carbon fibres are discussed, comparing the behaviour of the unprotected and protected structure.

1

T.C. Traintafillou, "Innovative Strengthening of Masonry Monuments with Composites", Proc. 2nd International Conference Advanced Composite Materials in Bridges and Structures, Montréal, 1996.

2

M. El-Badry, "Advanced Composite Materials Bridges and Structures", Proc. 2nd International Conference Advanced Composite Materials in Bridges and Structures, Montréal, 1996.

3

S. Briccoli Bati, L. Rovero, "Consolidamento di Archi in Muratura con Nastri di Composito a Fibre Lunghe di Carbonio", Proc. National Conference Mechanics of Masonry Structures Strengthened with FRP-Materials, 53-64, Venezia, 2000.

4

G. Schwegler, "Masonry Construction Strengthened with Fiber Composites in Seismically Endangered Zones", Proc. 10th European Conference of Earthquake Engineering, Vienna, 1994.

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