In this study, an effective strengthening method was investigated to improve the seismic performance of masonry brick walls. The strengthening method comprised the use of shotcrete, which was applied in both glass fiber-reinforced and unreinforced forms for steel plates and tie rods. Thirteen wall specimens constructed with vertical perforated masonry block bricks were tested under diagonal compression in accordance with ASTM E519 (2010). Reinforcement plates with different thicknesses (1.5 mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm) were anchored using 6 mm diameter tie rods. A specially designed steel frame and an experimental loading program with controlled deformation increments were employed to simulate the effects of reinforced concrete beam frame system on walls under the effect of diagonal loads caused by seismic loads. In addition, numerical simulations were conducted using three-dimensional finite element models in Abaqus Explicit software to validate the experimental results. The findings demonstrated that increasing the number of tie rods enhanced the shear strength and overall behavior of the walls. Steel plates effectively absorbed tensile stresses and limited crack propagation, while the fiber reinforcement in the shotcrete further improved wall strength and ductility. Overall, the proposed strengthening techniques provided significant improvements in the seismic resistance and energy absorption capacity of masonry walls, offering practical and reliable solutions to enhance the safety and durability of existing masonry structures.

As primary load-bearing members of masonry buildings, the strength and behavior of masonry brick walls are the most important factors affecting the structural performance for the loads the building is exposed to during its life span. The current paper therefore experimentally examines a structural strengthening method to improve the performance and behavior of masonry brick walls. Masonry walls were strengthened with expanded steel plates of different thicknesses attached to the walls using different numbers of bolts. Five wall specimens were examined under a diagonal static compression test. For strengthening, expanded steel plates were anchored to both sides of un-plastered walls using bolts and were then plastered. The thickness of the steel plates and the number of bolts were examined as experimental variables. The results showed that the strengthened wall specimens using expanded steel plates of different thicknesses and different numbers of bolts increased an average of 45-94% ultimate strength at 245mm displacement, the ductility of all strengthened specimens increased by 114%-180% and an average increment of 280-480% higher energy dissipation capacities compared to the reference specimen. The result shows that strengthening masonry brick walls provides 2 to 3 times higher energy dissipation capacity for the energy generated by seismic effects compared to the reference specimen. The research then indicated the expanded plate thickness in strengthening walls has a direct relation with load-bearing capacity of brick masonry walls. An increase of 33% and 100% in plate thickness resulted to increase in load bearing capacity by 2% and 11.5%, respectively. It has also been observed that specimens did not experience a sudden drop in load carrying capacity. They maintained their stability until the end of the tests and changed their stiffness and ductility.