Seismic performance of masonry walls with GFRP and Geogrid Bed joint reinforcement

In this study, the results from tests on a total of eight squat concrete masonry walls under simulated seismic load are reported. The first specimen is an Unreinforced Masonry (URM) control wall and one was reinforced with steel-ladder shaped Bed Joint Reinforcement (BJR). Three walls were reinforced with different configurations of Geogrid material and the last three were reinforced with different configurations of Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) reinforcement. No vertical reinforcement was provided. The performance of the walls under horizontal cyclic loading is presented in this paper showing the enhanced seismic performance: energy dissipation and in-plane flexural strength provided by the various types of BJR. The significance of this study is that it examines both FRPs and a new material, Geogrid, along with a new configuration of BJR, grid shape.