Abstract:
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Techniques for the non-destructive identification of the materials and structures properties have been
recently developed and are rapidly improving their performance now. One of the main advantages of
these testing procedures is their possible application for studying historical buildings without damaging
these heritage elements, which is one of the basic requirements of conservation interventions.
Among non-destructive testing techniques, the vibration analysis or modal analysis outstands because
of its easy implementation, quick data acquisition and reliable result. Hundreds of buildings and civil
engineering structures have been studied with this technique to assess their performance through the
elastic dynamic response. This testing technique is able to provide essential information for the safety
study of existing structures or to evaluate the structural effectiveness of a strengthening system once it
is applied.
Focusing the research on the historical buildings, brickwork walls are one of the most common
structural elements. However, it has been noticed that there is a growing strengthening tendency
which might change the structural behavior of these elements. Applying FRP laminates bonded on the
wall’s surface has turned to be a common practice in retrofitting structures. Nevertheless, this
actuation shows several drawbacks which have been deeply studied. The elastic properties of the
FRP strengthened walls are expected to be different from the ones of unreinforced walls. This
strengthening system has been experimentally analyzed with destructive tests but using a nondestructive
technique is still a new investigation branch.The proposed tasks are aimed to perform an experimental campaign in order to evaluate the changes
in the dynamic response of brickwork walls when strengthened with different patterns of FRP by
using a modal analysis. |