Flexural resistance of masonry wall retrofitted with timber panel under out-of-plane loading

Abstract

Retrofit of unreinforced masonry (URM) structures is incessantly attracting interests of masonry professionals. Because there are enormous URM structure stocks in different parts of the world that have shown vulnerability to damage against out-of-plane actions due to having limited flexural strength and deformation capacity [1]. As such, there is a global trend of promoting the development of sustainable retrofit techniques for URM structures. The authors' previous study [2] has introduced the application of oriented strand board type 3 (OSB/3) as a prospective sustainable retrofit material for URM wall with evidence of improving the flexural performances. This paper presents, for the first time,experimental works on 1115 x 1115 x 215 mm double wythe single leaf URM walls. Specifically, quasi-static out-of-plane loading tests were carried out on two plain specimens, two single-sided retrofitted walls and two double-sided retrofitted walls. The flexural and displacement capacities were evaluated in both plain and retrofitted specimens, and the results substantiated that OSB/3 application improves the flexural capacity of masonry wall. Therefore, the application of OSB/3 for retrofitting URM buildings can be considered as an inexpensive, efficient and sustainable retrofit technique.