All over the world, a large part of existing buildings is not adequate to satisfy the safety requirement and the thermal comfort criteria. For this reason, the interest in structural and energy retrofitting systems has steadily grown in the last decades. In this scenario, an innovative thermal resistant geopolymer mortar has been developed and used for Inorganic Matrix Composite (IMC) systems aimed to a combined seismic and energy new retrofitting technique. The geopolymer-based IMC is able to ensure competitive mechanical properties with respect to the traditional lime-based IMCs and, at the same time, a significant reduction in thermal conductivity. In this paper, an experimental program is reported considering small-scaled masonry panels with double-side IMC-retrofitting and determining both the in-plane shear strength and the thermal resistance. The experimental shear tests are aimed to compare the mechanical performance of the geopolymer innovative systems with those of the traditional lime-based ones. Moreover, the thermal resistance gain of the innovative solutions was measured and compared with traditional systems. The results evidenced the effectiveness of the proposed technique that significantly improved the performances of masonry walls from both the thermal and the mechanical point of view.

A large part of the European building Heritage is dated back over centuries. Consequently, its structural and thermal performances are often inadequate. Commonly, different interventions are proposed for solving these issues separately. However, reasonable drawbacks arise when the structural retrofitting requires a direct contact with the target-member while the insulation layer is potentially interposed in between. In this scenario, the present research proposes a novel and unique system able to guarantee both the energetic and the structural retrofitting. Inorganic Matrix Composites (IMCs) are a promising solution in this sense. Among them, the Fabric Reinforced Cementitous Matrix (FRCM) is one of the most used; or rather a composite made of a fabric (open grid or mesh) within an inorganic matrix (lime or cement based). Even if the inorganic matrix has a relevant thickness (if compared with the one of the fabric), its thermal resistance is insufficient. The novelty of this work consists in assessing a new geo-polymeric FRCM-system by combining fly-ash binder (reused material) and expanded glass aggregate (recycled material). Direct tensile tests, for measuring the tensile strength, ultimate strain and elastic modulus, were performed in addition to thermal conductivity tests. The results were compared with those of traditional FRCM (commercially available). The potentiality of the proposal for structural and energy retrofitting is discussed and examples of its possible application are also reported.

Today, the attention in the retrofitting of building is quickly growing. In this field, the re-use of waste materials and the innovation in the retrofitting techniques are among the crucial topics. Generally, thermal capacity and seismic resistance are two aspects very felt by the building owners. Commonly, independent approaches are assessed in order to cover the energy and mechanical lacks of a building. In such a way, the intervention may result time- and cost-consuming or, sometimes, poorly effective. The present paper aimed to propose and validate a new retrofitting system based on the partial use of waste materials, such as fly ash and expanded glass (acting as a matrix), and a fiber open grid reinforcement. The proposal is suitable for the plastering of building with the double scope of thermal insulation and seismic strengthening throughout a unique application. An experimental investigation was carried out considering small-scaled masonry panels with double-side retrofitting. The studied parameters were thermal transmittance and shear strength. The results evidenced the effectiveness of the proposed technique, able to significantly improve the un-retrofitted masonry, from both the thermal and mechanical point of view.

Architectural heritage manifests both structural and energy deficiencies with respect to the requirements stated in the technical codes. Nowadays, among the possible strengthening solutions, it is of great interest the use of the fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM), which consists in a fibrous mesh grid embedded in a mortar (inorganic matrix). The FRCMs may ensure simultaneous advantages recognizable in static and insulation improvements. Thus, it is reasonable to design the FRCM-application by considering both the mechanical and the energy properties. In this scenario, the goal of the research is to experimentally determine the mechanical and the thermal capacities of FRCM-matrices. In such way, the correlation between the proportion of the constituents and the effectiveness (structural and energetic) of the system is investigated. In detail, the FRCM-matrices were characterized by compressive and flexural tests, as well as, by thermal conductivity measurements. In particular, different percentages in volume of aggregates were replaced with recycled materials (i.e. waste tire rubber), in order to quantify the possible decrease in the mechanical strength and the enhancement of the thermal insulation with respect to the substitution rates.

Typically, historical masonry constructions were only designed due to gravity loads. The structural detailing, aimed at improving the seismic performance, was introduced thanks to the advancement in performance-based seismic design approaches in recent decades. In this context, the vaults play a key role. Depending on the construction technology, material, shape and constraints, the vault can modify the load patterns both in static and/or dynamic conditions. Furthermore, in heritage buildings, the possible presence of frescos or decorations increase the difficulties in assessing the technological nature of the vault. Non-destructive in situ investigation techniques, such as thermography, can be a powerful tool to improve the level of knowledge with respect to structural detailing and increase the prediction capability of the numerical model. The present paper discusses the results of a large thermography campaign performed in a cultural masonry building located in the south of Italy. The extensive investigation was aimed at identifying the typologies of vaults covered by worth frescos. This peculiarity was considered in the structural analysis in order to investigate the influence of the vault typology, in terms of plan stiffness versus the global seismic vulnerability. The outcomes demonstrated that thermography was decisive in improving the level of knowledge and obtaining a more reliable prediction of the seismic response.