Masonry Bearing and Shear Walls Retrofitted With Overlay Composite Material

Abstract

Unreinforced masonry bearing and shear walls common in the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) switch-house structures have been found to be vulnerable to earthquakes. One technique to reduce the seismic vulnerability of these structures is to retrofit the masonry walls using the Hexcel-Fyfe TYFO(TM) system. This system consists of a glass fiber fabric combined with special epoxies to create a high strength, lightweight structural laminate. Hexcel-Fyfe TYFO(TM) can be designed to work in conjunction with existing walls to increase both the in-plane and out-of-plane seismic strength of the unreinforced masonry walls. To ensure that this technique will perform its intended purpose, the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories (USACERL) and TVA conducted seismic analysis and shake-table seismic testing using USACERL's Triaxial Earthquake and Shock Simulator. The results of seismic testing documented in this report show that applying the overlay material to one side of the unreinforced masonry wall will enhance its seismic resistance.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA349347

Entities

People

  • Ghassan Al-chaar
  • Husein A. Hasan

Organizations

  • Construction Engineering Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Composite Materials
  • Computer Programs
  • Construction
  • Data Acquisition
  • Engineering
  • Fibers
  • Glass Fibers
  • Laminates
  • Materials
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Modal Analysis
  • Resistance
  • Resonant Frequency
  • Shear Stresses
  • Shock Response Spectra
  • Simulators
  • Test And Evaluation

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Reinforced Composite Materials
  • Seismology