Static and dynamic analysis of small walls reinforced with welded wire mesh: a numerical and experimental approach

Structural masonry is one of humanity's oldest and most exploited structural systems. It has been used for thousands of years, with several monuments and historic buildings built in structural masonry. In recent decades, the system has gained even more relevance due to its economic competitiveness, and, in this context, the need for structural reinforcements in this system is increasingly common. Whether for the restoration of older structures or changes in the behavior of static and dynamic loads in systems, it becomes increasingly necessary to know reinforcement techniques and, therefore, the dynamic and static characteristics of structural masonry walls. This need arises from slender walls and because these structures may be subject to dynamic loads such as those caused by machinery or earthquakes, for example. Thus, this work is dedicated to studying reinforced walls and their dynamic and static properties through experimental and computational models. The study addresses variations of reinforcements with welded wire mesh, to improve the masonry's load capacity by increasing the reinforcements' adherence. The groups comprise the walls: without reinforcement, with reinforcement using four anchoring, with reinforcement using four anchoring and additive to improve adhesion, and with reinforcement and using eight anchoring. The studies demonstrated that the use of reinforcements significantly increased the rigidity of the specimens, in addition to an increase of up to 83% in compressive strength of the reinforced walls when compared to the group with no reinforcement.