Bond behaviour of a textile-reinforced mortar for AAC masonry / Haftverhalten eines textilbewehrten Mörtels für Porenbeton-Mauerwerk

The bond behaviour of a textile reinforced mortar (TRM) applied to autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) masonry has been evaluated experimentally. The TRM is composed of a glass-fibre mesh combined with a cementitious mortar and is intended to strengthen AAC masonry walls subjected to out-of-plane bending during an earthquake. The main components have been characterized with preliminary tests. Then, pull-off and shear bond tests have been performed to determine the bonding properties of the TRM applied to the AAC substrate. Three types of AAC blocks have been used, which differ in the bulk density and compressive strength, to evaluate possible variation in the bond strength. The results of the experimental campaign have shown a good performance of the strengthening system. In most cases, the bonding between TRM and masonry was maintained up to tensile failure of the dry textile. As expected, the masonry samples realized using AAC blocks with a higher bulk density showed better performances. The paper presents and discusses main test results, providing background data for future recommendations for the use of the analysed strengthening system in AAC masonry structures.