Material characterisation of heavy-weight and lightweight adobe brick walls and in-plane strengthening techniques.

• Evaluate traditional (heavy-weight) and innovative (lightweight) adobe brick constructions properties. • Earthquake in-plane strengthening solutions for adobe constructions. • Material characterisation and diagonal compression tests. Adobe housing is used in developed countries and much more in less developed countries. Such construction is expected to rise with the increase in world population and the worldwide need of more sustainable and eco-friendly solutions. The large mass associated with earthen buildings is favourable for thermal comfort in regions with large diurnal temperature variations, but it causes these buildings to experience high inertial loading in the event of an earthquake, thus posing a major risk to their inhabitants. Lightweight adobe bricks have been developed and adopted in New Zealand to mitigate the seismic risk, and provide better thermal insulation for sustained periods of hot or cold. There is still a lack in research and national standard literature regarding their material characteristics and earthquake performance. The experimental campaign described herein aims to determine the material properties and in-plane performance of the lightweight adobe walls and compare them to the traditional heavy-weight adobe. Different mesh materials have also been investigated to be used as horizontal reinforcement laid in the mortar joints to enhance the shear characteristics of the adobe wall. Diagonal compression tests were undertaken in as-built panels and in walls strengthened with biaxial polypropylene geogrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]