Experimental, analytical, and numerical investigations on bond behaviour of basalt TRM systems

In this study, a composite system designed for the reinforcement of masonry structures is investigated. The constituents of the composite system are a basalt-fibre mesh and a lime-based mortar matrix. Two basalt-fibre mesh textiles showing one double the reinforcement of the other due to a tighter spacing of yarns were considered. Three solutions were tested: one layer of the looser textile, one layer of the tighter, and two layers of the looser one, which provided the same reinforcement ratio of the tighter. The experimental campaign addressed single-lap shear tests on bricks. Also, within a fracture process zone approach, bond behaviour of the composite system, is modelled in closed form assuming a trilinear cohesive material law, CML, and solving the system of differential equations. Further, a numerical finite-difference model, based on the same trilinear CML of the analytical model, is set up and compared to experimental results.