Numerical Investigation of Unreinforced Masonry Walls Retrofitted with locally available bamboo strip under Static and Impact Loading

Unreinforced masonry (URM) walls are extremely vulnerable to brittle failures due to their low tensile strength, low ductility and weak capability to dissipate energy during static and impact loadings. Strengthening of URM walls using sustainable and locally available materials is a promising solution compared to conventional approaches of retrofits particularly for economically deprived regions. This study is about the numerical assessment of URM walls wrapped by bamboo strips extracted from Bambusa genus of India, Tripura, as this technique aims to improve the structural performance and resilience of the walls. The finite element numerical analysis is carried out by considering the nonlinear behavior of masonry using Drucker-Prager plasticity model. The mechanical properties of the materials are determined by conducting experimental tests on locally available Bambusa species in Tripura, India and locally available red clay brick. A macro model of bamboo strip-retrofitted URM walls are developed for the analysis of in-plane behavior of unreinforced masonry (URM) and retrofitted URM walls under static loading. On the other hand, out-of-plane behavior of the same type of walls are investigated under impact load, perpendicular to the wall face. The response of such structures subjected to these excitations are investigated by employing nonlinear analysis and explicit dynamic solution method respectively. The presented approach will help to effectively measure the efficiency of Bambusa based retrofits and will provide useful information regarding the utilization of locally available bamboo for structural retrofitting applications as sustainable, economical and eco-friendly strengthening material.