Experimental Evaluation of Brick Masonry Walls Strengthened with TRM (Textile Reinforced Mortar) Renders

Old masonry buildings, which are frequently part of the cities-built heritage, are vulnerable to seismic actions. Thus, it is important to conduct efficient seismic strengthening interventions that allow maintenance of the existing building to minimize the environmental and economic impact. The use of reinforced renders is a simple and effective solution for seismic strengthening of this type of constructions. In this paper, several compositions of reinforced renders are analyzed, consisting of mortars with air lime, hydraulic lime, or cement binders, reinforced with steel mesh, fiberglass mesh and a natural fiber mesh. Additionally, the results of diagonal compression tests on three small wall specimens are presented, one of which is non-reinforced and the other two are strengthened with reinforced renders. The results of all tested walls are presented and compared, allowing us to evaluate the efficiency of the reinforced render on the wall shear strength.