In-plane shear performance of masonry panels strengthened with FRP

The opportunities provided by the use of Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) composites for the shear strengthening of tuff masonry structures were assessed on full-scale panels subjected to in-plane shear-compression tests at the ENEL HYDRO S.p.A laboratory, ITALY. Tuff masonry specimens have been arranged in order to simulate both mechanical and textural properties typical of buildings located in South-Central Italian historical centres. In this paper, the outcomes of the experimental tests are presented. The monotonic shear-compression tests were performed under displacement control and experimental data have provided information about in-plane behaviour of as-built and FRP strengthened tuff masonry walls. Failure modes, shear strength, displacement capacity and post-peak performance are discussed.