FRCM Systems for Strengthening Masonry Structures

Composite materials have been widely used for strengthening weak masonry buildings. Particularly, wrapping with fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites has become a common method for strengthening masonry members primarily subjected to compressive static loads or seismic actions. More recently, in an effort to alleviate some drawbacks associated with the use of FRP materials, fibrereinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites have received a lot of interests for external strengthening of historical masonry structures. It is used as an alternative to FRP in situations where these composites have shown some disadvantages or their use is banned. This paper presents a literature review on the mechanical characterisations of FRCM composites for structural retrofitting. Recent experimental results of tensile and bond tests are discussed, highlighting the roles of the different parameters affecting the mechanical performance, e.g. type of fibre, clamping method. This review aims to form the base for a new experimental investigation on the compressive behaviour of FRCM and FRP wrapped masonry specimens.