EAGER: Rapid and Affordable Repair of Substandard Confined Masonry

University South Carolina Research Foundation, Columbia SC

Investigators

Abstract

This grant provides funding to design and execute a proof of concept for a practical and affordable system to repair or retrofit highly substandard confined masonry walls. This construction style is predominant in low-rise residential structures in developing areas around the world that are prone to seismic activity, and where poor design and construction practices are common. The proposed system consists of aluminum strips inserted into grooves and embedded in mortar along the bed joints, thereby providing horizontal reinforcement to enhance resilience. It enlists accessible, relatively inexpensive and durable materials as a strategy for rehabilitation, and to facilitate technology acceptance. The proof of concept will be based on laboratory tests of confined masonry wall specimens under in-plane loads, simulating no action, repair (after damage), and retrofit (prior to loading) scenarios. Design and construction of the specimens will reflect input gained from a visit in Haiti by the two PIs (an architect and a structural engineer). Resilience in terms of strength, deformability and damage mechanisms will be investigated analytically by studying the contribution of masonry, embedded reinforcement, reinforced concrete confinement, and interactions thereof. Current design and construction practices often fail to acknowledge the economic and technological limitations found in developing areas. Through this research, information and experimental evidence will be gained to advance the knowledge and understanding of substandard practices specific to confined masonry, baseline performance of poorly designed and constructed confined masonry walls, and the potential of a rapid and affordable repair and retrofit technology whose deployment on a large scale is realistic. The proposed proof of concept is pursuant to the vision of shifting from the culture of aiding to that of enabling local practitioners to independently rehabilitate their constructed facilities, thereby also putting them in the condition to train future generations of practitioners.