Out-of-plane flexural behaviour of AAC masonry walls reinforced using steel wire mesh integrated within the masonry bed and bed-head joint

Abstract

Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) masonry walls are vulnerable during seismic events due to their inherent brittleness, low toughness, low tensile strength, and susceptibility to out-of-plane loading. This study investigates an economical approach to enhance the lateral resistance and ductility of AAC masonry walls by embedding steel wire mesh within the masonry mortar bed joint, as well as the bed and head joint. Three different types of steel wire mesh and three reinforcing arrangements were evaluated for each approach. The (-) arrangement aligns the mesh width with the masonry width. The (L) arrangement involves attaching the mesh such that one side extends beyond the masonry mortar width, bending it to affix to the masonry face, forming a letter L shape. The (Z) arrangement showcases the mesh extending beyond both faces of the masonry width; one section is bent to rest on the masonry bottom face while another is bent and rests on the masonry top face, forming a letter Z shape. The results demonstrated a significant improvement in flexural capacity of the masonry, with the bed joint configuration outperforming the bed-head joint configuration. Among the reinforcement arrangements, the (Z) arrangement exhibited higher performance, followed by the (L) and (-) arrangement. Additionally, steel wire mesh with higher tensile strength demonstrates better performance, highlighting the critical role of the material property in the reinforcing efficiency. The analytical prediction based on a developed model were in reasonable agreement with the experimental outcomes. These findings highlight the practical significance of steel wire mesh reinforcement in enhancing the seismic resilience of AAC masonry structure.