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Abstract In this study, ten shear walls were experimentally tested to examine behaviour of ferrocement hollow shear walls subjected to axial and lateral loads. Ferrocement mortar (FM) was used to build eight walls, while normal concrete (NC) was used to build two controls. Walls were lateral reinforced using conventional stirrups, two layers of welded wire mesh (WWM), and expanded steel mesh (ESM). Two specimens lacked lateral reinforcement except for one transverse web in the center of the inner hole. Two symmetric groups of five walls each were created by dividing the walls. While the other group was loaded laterally, one group was loaded axially. In each group, the load–displacement relationship, maximum load and associated displacement, stiffness, ductility, and failure mechanism of FM and NC walls were compared. The results showed that FM walls provided with ESM and WWM had ultimate axial loads that were, respectively, 36% and 19% higher than NC control walls. Ultimate lateral loads and related ultimate drifts of FM walls reinforced with two layers of WWM and ESM were, respectively, 68% and 39%, 96% and 43.5%, larger than control NC wall. For lateral loads greater than those applied to the NC control wall, stiffness increase ratios for FM walls ranged from 2.5% to 89.5%, and for axial loads, they ranged from 20% to 150.5%. The ductility of FM walls increased when compared to NC walls by 58.5% and 158.8% for axial and lateral loading, respectively, when two layers of WWM were utilized to lateral reinforce FM walls. When two layers of ESM were applied to laterally reinforce FM walls in comparison to an NC wall, this increased the walls' ductility under axial and lateral loads by 110.5% and 214.7%, respectively.

Due to ferrocement high strength-to-weight ratio, flexibility, and adaptability to diverse forms and shapes, ferrocement had been seen as a possible alternative to traditional construction materials. In this research, the behavior of ferrocement composites tanks under static pressure loads was investigated experimentally and numerically. The investigational work includes testing twelve ferrocement composites circular tanks with dimensions 400 mm outer diameters, 500 mm height, and 25 mm thicknesses. The tanks are reinforced with welded and expanded steel meshes, as well as glass fiber mesh. According to the findings of the experiments, the ferrocement composites tanks have a higher failure load than traditional RC tanks, especially tanks reinforced with fiberglass polymer-mesh. The tank reinforced with three layers of Fiberglass polymers-mesh has the greatest first crack and ultimate load, as well as the highest ductility ratio and energy absorption. The non-corrosive fiberglass reinforcement mesh offers several advantages over structural steel meshes. In addition to its corrosion resistance, it boasts a significantly higher tensile strength (up to twice as high), is extremely lightweight, is non-conductive, and has very low thermal conductivity. The experimental results are compared to analytical models using (ANSYS ver. 16.2) software. The finite element simulations generated better results than the experimental data. The consistency ratio between the NLFEA and experimental results (Pu NLFEA/Pu exp.) was found to be outstanding, with an average of 0.902 and a standard deviation of 0.024. The correlation between the load-deflection curves of the NLFEA and experimental results was also found to be appropriate, with a mean correlation of 88 %. Furthermore, the matching ratio between the NLFEA and experimental results (∆u NLFEA/∆u exp.) was found to be high, with a mean matching ratio of 0.929 for all samples and a variation of 0.022. These results indicate that the NLFEA model accurately anticipates the performance of the investigated samples, making it a useful tool for predicting the behavior of similar structures. Ferrocement composite tanks have several advantages over traditional reinforced concrete (RC) tanks, including increased strength of up to 70 % when using ferrocement composites, resistance to cracking, cost-effectiveness, and resistance to corrosive substances. Finite element analysis (FEA) accurately predicts the behavior of ferrocement composite tanks, enabling engineers to design and optimize these tanks more efficiently. These advantages make ferrocement composite tanks a suitable option for various industrial and developing country applications, especially when cost and strength are crucial factors.

Highlights This study is focusing on structural performance of ferrocement beams with lightweight cores reinforced with steel mesh fabric as a shear reinforcement. Lightweight core concrete with steel mesh fabric reinforcement was made either using lightweight aerated autoclaved brick aggregate (LAABA) or expanded polystyrene (EP). Impact of core lightweight concrete type, shape/number of holes, existing steel mesh fabric, concrete type, existing hollow core, positioning of hole on structural performance of the beams were performed. Structural performance factors such ductility index, failure mechanism, first cracking loads and deflections and ultimate loads and deflections were studied.

Ferrocement is a composite building material that has attracted a lot of attention since it has excellent quality properties such as strength, hardness, fracture control, durability, and impact. Layers of reinforcing wire mesh strengthen the filler material. The current research investigates the performance of ferrocement pipes reinforced with a variety of metallic and non-metallic materials. The primary goal of this study is to predict the structural behavior of the ferrocement water pipelines. Twelve pipes were subjected to experimental testing. The pipes have parameters of 150 mm outer diameter, 50 mm thickness, and 1000 mm length, but with varied layer numbers built of different mesh kinds. At all phases of loading, cracking patterns, tensile and compressive stresses, failure mechanism, elastic stiffness, and energy absorption are observed and quantified. Using (ANSYS 2015) software, the experimental findings are compared to analytical models. The study also demonstrates the effectiveness of the expanded metal mesh, welded- steel-mesh, and fiber-glass-mesh utilized in reinforcing the pipes. Furthermore, the created ferrocement water pipes have exceptional strength, making them equally effective in industrialized and developing countries. In comparison to the experimental data, the finite element simulations produced better outcomes.