Numerical Evaluation of FRP Patterns for Seismic Retrofit of Masonry Walls with Openings

Although vulnerable to seismic loads, masonry-infilled walls are still frequently employed in Iran's rural regions, where they are exposed to high seismic loads according to Iran's earthquake geography. These structures often demonstrate brittle behavior under seismic loads, causing catastrophic failures. The condition is exacerbated when these structures incorporate openings, encouraging engineers to retrofit them with externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP). The FRP wrapping pattern can notably affect seismic performance, making its assessment essential. The current work attempts to numerically investigate the impact of CFRP retrofitting wrapping layout on seismic performance, including responses to in-plane cyclic loads, load capacity, and energy absorption. The results indicate that FRP wrapping can more effectively activate confinement effects, diminish the local displacement close to the opening, and enhance load-bearing capacity and energy absorption up to ۲.۶ and ۴.۵ times, respectively, compared to the unreinforced one. The highlights of this study provide valuable guidelines for engineers and researchers in designing effective FRP reinforcement patterns tailored to the dimensions of openings in masonry structures.

Keywords:

Fiber Reinforced Polymer , Masonry walls , cyclic loading , Finite element simulation