Masonry vaults strengthened with a GFRP reinforced mortar coating: evaluation of the resisting peak ground acceleration

The reinforcement of existing masonry vaults against seismic actions is an extremely timing issue and it has already involved many researchers in experimental testing and numerical modelling. However, up to now, the results of the research have been expressed and compared in terms of load-displacement capacity curves. But the designers, in the practice, need to assess the resisting peak ground acceleration of the vault (PGA), so to compare it with the seismic demand. In the paper, a strategy to evaluate this parameter, based on the modified Capacity Spectrum Method and accounting for the level of the vault in the building is proposed. The procedure is applied to a case study of a masonry building with barrel vaults, comparing the performances of plain vaults and vaults strengthened with a GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer) reinforced mortar coating. The results evidenced significant improvements in terms of PGA after the reinforcement, attaining to values from 3.1 to 3.3 times that of the unreinforced vault.