Discontinuous FRCM-Confinement of Masonry Columns

This paper presents an experimental study on the discontinuous confinement of small-scale masonry columns using a FRCM system. The study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the FRCM in enhancing compressive strength and ductility under axial loading condition. In detail, the adopted FRCM system was composed of a cementitious matrix reinforced with PBO mesh. It was applied to the masonry columns using a discontinuous wrapping technique, which involved wrapping the FRCM material around the column in segments, leaving gaps between the segments itself. More in deep, the experimental program included twelve specimens, ten (i.e. five couples) of which were wrapped with the PBO-FRCM system using the discontinuous wrapping technique, while the remaining two columns were left unconfined and served as the control group. The columns were measured concerning the load-displacement behavior, ultimate strength and failure mode and then compared between the FRCM-confined and unconfined columns. In particular, the amount of fiber in the vertical direction was kept constant, while the scheme of confinement was varied by both changing the strip width and spacing. In total, five different schemes of discontinuous confinement were proved. The performed research aims to contribute to the knowledge in the field of FRCM-masonry confinement, mainly focusing on the influence of the mentioned parameter.