Christian Escrig

Bending performance of concrete beams strengthened with textile reinforced mortar TRM

This work presents a method of strengthening concrete structures based on textiles of high strength and mortars. The combination of textiles and mortars produces a new composite material with cementitious matrix. This material can be used for the reinforcement of concrete beams under bending loads. We tested several combinations of fibers: glass, Poliparafenil Benzobisoxazol (PBO), steel and carbon fibers with mortar and we used them to reinforce precast concrete beams. All the specimens were tested with a four-point load test. We discuss the performance of the specimens and we compare the ultimate results with the formulae from FRP codes.

Study of the compressive response of masonry using non-conventional joint materials

The compressive response of masonry is influenced by geometric, material and execution variables. In addition, the nature of bricks and mortar typically introduces uncertainty to the experimental results. In order to reduce this uncertainty, an experimental campaign has been carried out to analyse the influence of the properties of the joints. Four non-conventional masonry typologies including resin, EPS and rubber joints have been considered for this purpose. In all, 60 compressive tests and 50 deformability tests on five stacked bricks prisms were performed. Obtained data are compared with data from the literature. A comparison with the current European standard is also carried out. The obtained results point out that the modulus of linear deformation of the joint is the most influent variable on the compressive response of masonry. Finally, it seems that current formulation (Eurocode-6) tends to overestimate the modulus of linear deformation of masonry.