Retrofit of Unreinforced Masonry Walls Using Geotextile and CFRP

A preliminary investigation into the suitability of using geotextile as an inexpensive seismic retrofit material was conducted. Ten specimens of unreinforced masonry (URM) walls were constructed with masonry without bars or other transverse reinforcement. One set of two was left unreinforced. The remaining four sets of two specimens were reinforced with either CFRP (laminate) or geotextile. Two widths of reinforcement were created for each reinforcing material. All specimens were tested with cyclical shear loading. The number of cycles before collapse was recorded. Results are compared for geotextile versus laminate. Both materials reduced drift and increased the number of loading cycles before collapse. Even though the laminate increased the number of cycles the most, the geotextile is a more economical solution to retrofitting URM walls therefore warrants further investigation.