Experimental analysis of masonry ring beams reinforced with composite materials

An experimental investigation has been carried out on 8 full-scale rubble-stone or brickwork masonry ring beams tested in bending. The testing included the use of composite materials inserted into the mortar joints during the fabrication phase of the beams and pinned end conditions. In order to achieve unitary behaviour of the structure against earthquakes, masonry structures must be upgraded so that they avoid local collapse and have integrating structural elements. As solid brick or ashlar stone masonry, characterized by both regular horizontal and staggered vertical joints, can deal with horizontal tensile loads thanks to the friction in the horizontal bed joints. The stress-strain relationships of stone masonry are assumed to be identical to the bilinear curve obtained from the compression test. A series of tests of composite material-reinforced masonry ring-beams were experimentally examined at the University of Perugia Structural Testing laboratory to help develop estimates of their flexural capacity in both vertical and horizontal planes.