In order to pursue sustainable objectives in the construction industry, a new composite material using vegetal fibre mesh coated with resin and embedded in mortar is developed and characterized. In this study, meshes of different types of vegetal fibres (flax, hemp, sisal, and cotton) coated with epoxy and polyester resins were manufactured. A mixture of meshes and mortar cast different fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) specimens, which were later subjected to direct tensile tests. The results showed an excellent interaction between the vegetal fibres and the mortar matrix. The coating with epoxy and polyester improved the mechanical properties of the yarns and apparently avoided the typical slipping failures in FRCM composites. Hemp and flax FRCM are the composites that reached the highest mechanical strength, whereas cotton FRCM had the greatest elongation capacity and multicracking response. In addition, an analytical model was proposed and validated by a comparison with the experimental results.

This work explores the feasibility of strengthening masonry with Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) by projecting it to save application time. Nineteen tests on masonry samples strengthened with TRM have been carried out to assess this new application method. Different mortars and fibre grids were considered for studying their influence and applicability with this new technique. Three points bending tests have been performed on the specimens to compare the flexural strength between cases with manually applied mortar (TRM) and sprayed application (TRSM) of the mortar layer. It was noticed that the strengthening mortar has a significant influence on the failure mode. Results show a remarkable (between 2 and 6 times more) productivity increase when using TRSM and a load-bearing capacity rise for the cases with larger grid spacing and projectable mortar when using TRSM instead of TRM. Greater ductility values were also observed for the TRSM cases in comparison with the analogue TRM cases (same grid and mortar).

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Fibre Reinforced Polymers laminates are currently used to strengthen brick masonry walls. However, no specific evidences of the structural response of this strengthening system when brick walls are subjected to eccentric compressive loads, which might lead to second order bending effects, have been found. An experimental campaign on real-size walls has been carried out and the results have been compared with a numerical model, which predicted the observed shear/compressive masonry failure, and a new analytical approach, which has been used to accurately calculate the load-bearing capacity of the walls. Useful considerations for the strengthening design are also presented.

© 2017. This version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/The feasibility of using ultrasound transmission method to assess raw earthen materials is investigated. Results indicate that this technique is effective at controlling the drying process of raw earthen materials. Near the hygrometric equilibrium, there is a linear relationship between the moisture content of the earthen material and the ultrasound transmission speed, which increases during the drying process. For the tested compressed earth, the hygrometric equilibrium is reached when the ultrasound transmission speed is over 1100 m/s. In addition, ultrasound transmission method is useful to reliably calculate the dynamic Young's modulus of raw earthen materials.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

A numerical model has been implemented to simulate brick masonry walls strengthened with Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) and subjected to second order bending effects in order to cover the limited research in this area. Simulations have been compared with experimental cases and applied to enhance the knowledge about the influence of different strengthening variables. The model is accurate at predicting the load-bearing capacity of the walls, which might be increased by strengthening both sides. Moreover, the TRM is more effective for the most slender cases and the numerical results suggest future improvements to reproduce the wall's stiffness.

This paper studies the addition of fibers from end-of-life tires to commercial mortar mixtures. Two different types of mortar, one lime-plastic and other cement-fluid, are mixed with different percentage of fibers ranging from 0% to 1%. The changes in bulk density, consistency, compressive and flexural strength, dynamic Young modulus and water absorption are studied. According to the results, consistency is the property that shows more relevant changes for an addition of 0.25% fibers. Consistency is related to workability and affects the water absorption and the Young modulus values. On the contrary, bulk density and mechanical properties did not change with the addition of fibers. The results prove that this fiber, considered a waste from recycling of end-of-life tires, can be used in commercial mixtures without losing strength. On the other hand, mortar workability limits the amount of fibers that can be included in the mixture and this parameter determines the performance of the mortar.

Rammed earth is a building material that has gained attention because of its sustainable advantages. However, its negligible tensile strength and its lack of strain energy dissipation may compromise some structures. This work proposes the use of textile grids as reinforcement systems for rammed earth. An adapted methodology to assess the effect of embedding fibre grids is presented. The maximum bending moment and the flexural toughness was determined for 26 specimens by using different types of grids. It was determined that using a flexible fibre grid with large spacing between fibre tows was the most efficient option, as it duplicated the flexural strength and increased the flexural toughness by a factor of sixty.