• Derakhshan, Hossein
• Dizhur, Dmytro
• Lumantarna, Ronald
• Griffith, Michael
• Ingham, Jason

Abstract

Most research considering seismic assessment of URM walls has been conducted using laboratory-based studies with well defined but artificial boundary conditions. Thus, in-situ testing is required to provide data with which to validate the accuracy of laboratory-based studies of URM walls. Alterations, major refurbishment and structural seismic strengthening of Avon House, located in Wellington, New Zealand, involved demolition and removal of three large wall sections, allowing an opportunity for a team of researchers from the University of Auckland to conduct in-situ testing on the building. This allowed comparison with companion experiments that had previously been undertaken in a laboratory setting and provided an accurate seismic assessment of the building. This field testing involved the extraction of clay brick and mortar samples, in-situ bed joint shear tests, flexural bond tests, in-situ diagonal tension (shear) tests, and out-of-plane testing of the walls both in the existing condition and after the installation of a near-surface mounted (NSM) carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) retrofit solution. Testing confirmed that the walls in Avon House did not meet current New Zealand seismic performance requirements, and also confirmed that the near-surface mounted FRP solution is an excellent low-invasive option for seismic strengthening of unreinforced masonry buildings. Details of the history of the building, and the methods used to undertake the field testing are reported, and experimental results are presented.

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• surface
• polymer
• Carbon
• experiment
• extraction
• shear test
• in-situ testing