Shaking table tests of the one-quarter scale model of concrete hollow blocks masonry houses retrofitted with fiber-reinforced paint

Abstract

Abstract Concrete hollow block (CHB) is popular for masonry buildings in developing countries. However, CHB has a low compressive strength due to poor production methods. Most buildings are constructed without the involvement of engineers and are commonly called "nonengineered buildings." Unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings are highly vulnerable during an earthquake. Some strengthening methods have been proposed to increase the seismic capacity. However, some strengthening materials are beyond the economic capacity of the common people in developing countries, and there is a shortage of technical workforce in developing countries. In addition, other factors need to be considered when selecting the strengthening method; these include the failure mechanism of masonry walls, efficiency, complexity, and seismic safety of each technique. This paper introduces a new retrofitting method of fiber-reinforced paint using fiber as the primary reinforcing material. The proposed retrofitting method is easy to apply, and the paint is used to enhance the appearance of the house. Two 1:4 scale house models were constructed to observe the dynamic behavior of the masonry houses. The results show that the retrofitted house model can increase the deformation capacity and energy dissipation of the masonry structures. Fiber-reinforced paint has a robust performance even in high input motion at a seismic intensity JMA of 7 (Japan Meteorological Agency). This confirms that this retrofitting method has a high earthquake-resistant performance.