Analysis of In-plane Deformation of Walls Made Using AAC Blocks Strengthened by GFRP Mesh

Masonry walls are considered to be structures most vulnerable to irregular deformation of the substrate of different origin. Such activities generate static or dynamic shearing forces responsible for the most typical masonry damage - diagonal cracking. Recently, various composite materials (FRP) have become very popular as external strengthening used to improve the shear resistance of unreinforced masonry load-bearing walls. Many laboratory tests were conducted to show the positive influence of the application of CFRP, GFRP or BFRP laminates on the shear behavior of masonry walls, but because of the huge diversity of masonry components, to date there are no universal procedures to evaluate the effectiveness of strengthening. This situation imposes a need of separate analyses of individual problems, supported by some laboratory tests, especially if using non-typical masonry elements and erecting techniques. In this article, a detailed in-plane deformation process of unstrengthened and strengthened (by different GFRP meshes) walls made using AAC blocks with thin bed joints and unfilled head joints is shown and discussed. The laboratory tests were conducted because of the growing problems with severely cracked buildings, featuring walls built using AAC blocks, located in Silesian region. The present article is a continuation of the conducted research on the improvement of the shear parameters of walls made using AAC blocks.