Fiber reinforced concrete and mortar for enhanced structural elements and repair of masonry walls

This thesis is the result of three years of research carried out by the author both at the University of Brescia with Prof. G. Plizzari and at the University of Toronto with Prof. F.J. Vecchio. After a review of the actual state-of-the-art on masonry, an analytical model for studying masonry behavior is presented and validated by finite element simulations carried out with the program VecTor2. The second part of the work aims at proposing a technique for improving the lateral resistance of masonry walls, which is based on the use of thin overlays made of a calcium-aluminate steel fiber reinforced mortar. The results of a cyclic test performed on a full-scale wall strengthened with a fiber reinforced mortar coating are reported and discussed.