Shake table tests on a tuff masonry structure strengthened with composite reinforced mortar

The seismic vulnerability of unreinforced masonry structures threatens the life and health of people and the conservation of the built heritage in earthquake prone areas, highlighting the need of gaining a deeper understanding of their dynamic behaviour and of developing appropriate strengthening technologies. This work investigates the effectiveness of a low-impact technology consisting of composite reinforced mortar (CRM) applied to the outer surface of masonry walls for enhancing their seismic capacity, without the need to evacuate the building. Shake table tests were performed under natural accelerograms (applied in horizontal and vertical directions) on a real-scale structure, built with tuff blocks and consisting of a façade with a window, two side walls (one of which with a door near the corner) and an inclined timber roof. The mock-up was tested unstrengthened, then repaired and strengthened by applying a glass fibre reinforced polymer mesh embedded in a lime-based plaster to the outer surface of damaged walls. The experimental investigation showed the effects of CRM on damage accumulation, failure mode and on the increase of base acceleration and displacement capacities.