Strengthening of masonry arches with SFRM

Research on the preservation and restoration of masonry arches is of interest for the scientific and civil engineering communities, and the construction industry. Among the open investigation topics in the field, the study of new materials for strengthening masonry arches has gained attention from researchers. In this context, this paper presents the experimental results from destructive tests carried out on a masonry arch strengthened with steel fiber reinforced mortar (SFRM). The tested masonry arch was made of solid clay bricks disposed in a single layer and was strengthened with a single layer of steel FRM bonded at the arch intrados. In order to replicate the possible condition of an existing arch in which acting loads exceeded the member strength, the arch was preloaded before strengthening. The performance of the strengthened arch is discussed in terms of witnessed failure mode, ductility and increase in the load carrying capacity with respect to unstrengthened condition.