In-plane seismic retrofitting of hollow concrete block masonry walls with RC layers

Results of numerical studies on the in-plane shear capacity of full-scale unreinforced concrete block masonry walls, externally retrofitted by reinforced concrete layers, are presented. Tests are first performed on small-scale masonry walls, results of which are used to develop and calibrate numerical micro models for full-scale walls. Nonlinear pushover analyses are conducted to investigate the effects of a number of problem variables on the performance of the retrofitted walls. Numerical results reveal that wall boundary conditions affect its response considerably. Also, a significant enhancement in wall capacity and ductility is observed due to the application of the reinforced concrete layers.