Cyclic tests on two-leaf rubble stone masonry spandrels strengthened with CRM coating on one or both sides

The paper reports the results of an original experimental campaign carried out on full-scale, two-leaf rubble stone masonry spandrels retrofitted using the Composites Reinforced Mortar (CRM) technique, applied on one or both wall faces. The CRM system consisted of a mortar coating reinforced with Glass Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) meshes and GFRP transverse connectors to promote the connection with the existing masonry. When the coating was applied on one side, additional transverse connectors, made of grout cores with embedded steel ties (artificial diatons), were also used. These elements further strengthened the connection between the coating and the masonry and connected the leaves of the multi-leaf stone masonry walls. The GFRP mesh in the mortar coating provided the walls with the capacity to resist tension: once the coating and the masonry cracked, the strengthened samples withstood higher distortions, exhibited increased ductility and developed very diffuse crack patterns before collapsing, yielding greater energy dissipation. Furthermore, the transverse connectors enabled the composite action of the CRM coating and the walls and, in the case of artificial diatons, prevented the separation of the masonry leaves. The resistance of the walls with the CRM coating on one and both sides was 2.8 and 3.4 times that of the plain samples, respectively; in both cases, the ultimate drift was more than five times larger than the reference, while the cumulative dissipated energy was more than 30 times. The equivalent hysteretic damping in the damaged state was 11–14% (for CRM on one side) and 8–9% (for both sides).