Seismic Reinforcement of Brickwork Shear Walls Using Titanium Rods

Titanium alloys (TA) exhibit high mechanical properties, great durability, and high deformation capacity. These characteristics make TAs of interest also in Conservation Engineering. This paper presents the results of an experimental campaign on the use of titanium threaded bars for reinforcement of masonry shear walls. TA rods have been used to reinforce 8 full-scale brickwork walls (dimensions 1230 × 1230 ×  215 mm) against in-plane loading. The investigated retrofitting method consisted in the application of TA rods fully embedded into the horizontal mortar bed joints, known as Bed Joint Reinforcement (BJR). Different layouts have been considered and tested, with TA rods installed on a single side of the walls (single-sided reinforcement) or on both sides (double-sided reinforcement). The structural performance of the brickwork walls under lateral loading is also discussed showing the wall response after TA reinforcement in terms of energy dissipation, shear stiffness, deformation capacity, and in-plane shear strength provided by the various types of BJR. This study has a significance because it uses a new material, TA, in Conservation Engineering along with a new method of BJR.