An Experimental Investigation on the TRM to Masonry Bond Under Fatigue Loading

Textile reinforced mortars (TRM) have been proven to be an excellent technique for the strengthening of unreinforced masonry walls providing increased flexural and shear resistance. TRM - also termed Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrices (FRCM) - involve high strength fibre textile materials impregnated in inorganic cement or lime based mortars. As in every externally bonded strengthening technique/material, one of the key parameters controlling the effectiveness of the TRM is the bond strength of the TRM to the masonry interface. Over the past fifteen years or so, the mechanics of TRM to masonry bond have been investigated experimentally, analytically, and numerically for the case of quasi-static loading. Conversely, the case of fatigue loading has not garnered much attention. Experiments conducted on FRP strengthened concrete specimens have however demonstrated the detrimental effect of fatigue to the corresponding interfacial properties. In this work, we present the preliminary results from an experimental investigation on the TRM to masonry bond strength under one sided cyclic loading conditions. In this experimental campaign, a series of single lap shear tests have been conducted on basalt textile fibre TRM bonded to masonry, considering various bond lengths.