Diagonal Tensile Test on Masonry Panels Strengthened with Textile-Reinforced Mortar.

This study presents the results of an experimental and numerical program carried out on unreinforced masonry panels strengthened by textile-reinforced mortar (TRM) plastering. For this purpose, five panels were constructed, instrumented and tested in diagonal shear mode. Two panels were tested as reference. The first reference panel was left unstrengthened, while the second one was strengthened by a traditional self-supporting cement mortar matrix reinforced with steel meshes. The remaining three panels were strengthened by TRM plastering applied on one or both faces and connected with transversal composite anchors. The numerical and the experimental results evidenced a good effectiveness of the TRM systems, especially when applied on both panel facings.

Complex Behavior in the Dynamics of a Polymeric Biocomposite Material-"Liquid Wood". Experimental and Theoretical Aspects.

The purpose of the present paper is to analyze, both experimentally and theoretically, the behavior of the polymeric biocomposite generically known as "liquid wood", trademarked as Arbofill. The experimental part refers to the mechanical performance in tension and compression, having as finality the possibility of using "liquid wood" as a material suitable for the rehabilitation of degraded wooden elements in civil structures (ex. use in historical buildings, monuments etc.). The theoretical part refers to computer simulations regarding the mechanical behavior of "liquid wood" as well as to a theoretical model in the paradigm of motion, which describes the same behavior. This model is based on the hypothesis that "liquid wood" can be assimilated, both structurally and functionally, to a multifractal object, situation in which its entities are described through continuous, non-differentiable curves. Then, descriptions of the behavior of "liquid wood", both in the Schrödinger-type and in hydrodynamic-type representations at various scale resolutions, become operational. Since in the hydrodynamic-type representation, the constitutive law of "liquid wood" can be highlighted, several operational procedures (Ricatti-type gauge, differential geometry in absolute space etc.) will allow correlations between the present proposed model and the experimental data. The obtained results, both practical (81% bearing capacity in compression and 36% bearing capacity in tension, compared to control samples) and theoretical (validation of material performance in virtual environment simulations, stresses and strains correlations in a theoretical model) indicate that "liquid wood" could be used in the construction industry, as a potential rehabilitation material, but with more development clearly needed.

Structural Response of Bonded Joints between FRP Composite Strips and Steel Plates.

This paper presents the outcomes of an experimental and numerical study performed on epoxy-bonded single lap joints (SLJs) between carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite strips and steel elements. For the experimental program, 34 specimens were prepared by varying the type of the composite strip and the type of adhesives and their thicknesses; all specimens were loaded in axial tension up to failure. The specific failure mechanisms were identified and commented on the basis of the performed tests, and the load-displacement curves were plotted. Additionally, the strain distributions along the bond lengths at different load stages, the shear stress-displacements (slip) variations and the stress-strain distributions for the CFRP strips were plotted and investigated. The numerical simulations, based on 3D finite element method (FEM) analysis, provided consistent results, in good agreement with the experimental ones for all parameters that were investigated and discussed in this paper.