Numerical analysis of unreinforced masonry walls retrofitted with fiber reinforced polymers under in-plane lateral loads

Unreinforced masonry structures can suffer significant damage due to seismic forces as recent earthquakes have shown. Among the methods proposed to retrofit these structures is the application of fiber reinforced polymers. The effectiveness of a number of material options and geometric configurations has been investigated in experimental studies; however, accurate analytical tools have not been developed and validated. This thesis presents a modeling scheme for URM structures retrofitted with FRPs. The modeling scheme combines the discrete and smeared-crack approaches to capture the failure patterns of retrofitted walls. The scheme has been validated with data from experiments of unretrofitted, as well as retrofitted walls of different geometries and configurations. The comparison of the experimentally and analytically predicted behavior indicates that the model can capture the failure patterns and force-vs.-displacement curves of the walls. The validated models of the retrofitted walls have been used in parametric studies to assess the influence of selected parameters including the aspect ratio of the wall, the vertical load, and the FRP material and reinforcement ratio on the in-plane behavior of the FRP-strengthened masonry walls. The sensitivity of their response to the variations of these parameters is also discussed in this thesis.