In the 1980s, block masonry started to be widely used for new constructions in Italy's earthquake prone areas. However, recent seismic events demonstrated that block masonry buildings may need to be repaired after earthquakes due to cracking. Construction defects are the main cause for cracking of block work masonry. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets have been used as a local repair method for non-defective and defective wall panels. An experimental program was formulated to investigate the shear behavior of block masonry walls repaired with CFRP sheets. A total of six wall panels were constructed in the laboratory and tested in shear (in-plane lateral loading). It was found that, although the control (non-defective) wall panels had a high ultimate load capacity, the use of CFRPs reduces the effects of construction defects and restores the lateral load capacity in non-defective walls. Overall, this research suggests that the use of epoxy-bonded CFRP sheets could be used for local repair of cracked wall panels.
Keywords: CFRP; block masonry; earthquake engineering; laboratory testing; shear behavior.