Reinforcement of Historic Masonry with High Strength Steel Cords

The behavior of stone masonry panels strengthened with high strength steel cords is experimentally studied and presented in this paper. It is proposed by the authors for the reinforcement of masonry structures including those made with irregular elements when the facing stone surface must be kept. The technique consists of embedding a continuous mesh of high strength steel cords in the mortar joints, the nodes of which are anchored to the wall by means of transverse metal bars. The technique is proposed either in addition to other techniques or as a stand alone method. Experimental results and practical applications of the technique have shown it to be acceptable and the results of tests carried out on site show, in some cases, increases in shear, compression strength and stiffness of masonry walls.