In-Plane Shear Behaviour of Brick Masonry Wallets Strengthened with GFRP and Textile Reinforced Mortars

Abstract

This study investigates the structural behavior of unstrengthened and Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM)-strengthened brick masonry wallets under diagonal compression through experimental testing and finite element analysis (FEA). Masonry wallets measuring 700 mm × 700 mm with a thickness of 115 mm were constructed using clay bricks and cement mortar. Five wallets were tested to failure under diagonal compression. Strengthening techniques, including fibre wrapping and TRM, were employed to enhance their performance. Unstrengthened wallets exhibited brittle failure modes, such as diagonal cracking, localized crushing, and mortar joint sliding, highlighting their vulnerability to tensile stresses. In contrast, TRM-strengthened wallets demonstrated significantly improved shear performance, enhanced ductility, distributed cracking, and increased load-carrying capacity. Failure modes for strengthened wallets included TRM debonding, textile rupture, and combined mechanisms. FEA models developed in ANSYS successfully replicated the stress distribution and failure patterns observed experimentally, with deviations of less than 8% in peak load and crack propagation—well within acceptable limits. These findings underscore the effectiveness of TRM as a retrofitting solution for improving the structural performance of brick masonry under diagonal compression.