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Many masonry structures are constructed with cement clay interlocking brick (CCIB) due to its added benefits. Recent research has demonstrated the vulnerability of brick masonry walls against seismic loading. Various strengthening materials and techniques are extensively used to improve the structural behavior of brick walls. Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are the most popular strengthening material due to their advantages of easy application, lightweight qualities, and superior tensile strength. The current research work aimed to explore the cost-effective solutions and feasibility of CFRP composite-based strengthening techniques to improve the load-bearing capacity of CCIB walls. Various configurations and combinations of strengthening materials were investigated to customize the cost of repair and strengthening. The experimental results indicated that CFRP composites in combination with cement-sand (CS) mortar are an efficient strengthening material to enhance the strength and ultimate deflection of CCIB walls. The ultimate load-bearing capacity and axial deformation of the strengthened CCIB wall (using two layers of CFRP strips and CS mortar of 10 mm thickness) remained 171% and 190% larger than the unstrengthened CCIB wall. The conclusions of this study are expected to enhance the seismic performance of masonry buildings in developing countries. It should be noted that due to the reduced number of tested specimens, the results to be assumed as general considerations need a wider experimental campaign and a large numbers of tests for each strengthening typology.

The excessive production of construction waste is a significant concern as it requires proper disposal and may become economically unfeasible. Reusing construction waste in producing new concrete can substantially reduce the disposal requirements of construction waste. In addition, this results in a sustainable solution for the rapidly depleting natural resources of concrete. Pervious concrete may contain up to 80% coarse aggregates and could be an exceptional host for reusing construction waste. This study aimed to investigate the mechanical properties of pervious concrete constructed with natural and recycled aggregates. The substandard properties of recycled aggregates were improved by adding natural fibers from sackcloth. This study presents an experimental program on 45 samples of pervious concrete with air void ratios and the size of coarse aggregates as the parameters of interest. The compressive strength of the pervious concrete decreased by increasing the air void ratio regardless of the size of the aggregates. The type of aggregates did not influence the permeability of pervious concrete, and the maximum temperature in pervious concrete increased as the quantity of air void ratios increased. The decrease in compressive strength was 40–60% as the void ratio was increased from 10–30% for all types of concrete mixes, such as natural and recycled aggregates. The permeability of small-size aggregates with 10% designed air void ratios for natural and recycled aggregates with sackcloth was 0.705 cm/s.