Experimental study of masonry walls strengthened with externally bonded steel-grid under eccentric axial compressive loading

Strengthening of load-bearing masonry walls might often be a solution to extend the life cycle and area of use of existing buildings. In the present work, strengthening of masonry walls by means of externally bonded steel-grid is studied. Full scale clay brick masonry walls were constructed and tested in laboratory under eccentric axial compressive loading. By use of a steel-grid embedded in the render layer on the tension side of the walls, a 30 % increase of the top load was achieved. Further, the use of the externally bonded grid changed the failure mode of the walls from brittle to ductile. The load bearing capacity of the strengthened walls can be determined by section resistance analysis with due consideration given to the effects of the render shrinkage and second order effects.