Experimental and DEM numerical analyses of the flexural and diagonal compression behavior of masonry reinforced with polyurea coating

Abstract

The brick masonry specimens in this paper were strengthened with polyurea reinforcement before flexural and diagonal compression tests. The influence of one-sided and double-sided polyurea coatings on the load capacity and displacement were studied. According to the findings, the polyurea coating used for strengthening provided a considerable increase in load capacity as well as deformation. Two modeling approaches, macro-modeling and micro-modeling based on the Discrete Element Method (DEM), were applied. The Three-Dimensional Distinct Element Code (3DEC) program was used to simulate the behavior of the brick masonry. Several parameters, including joint-normal stiffness, joint-shear stiffness, and friction angle, were investigated, and their influence on the brick masonry structure was evaluated. The research determined that the prediction of ultimate load and behavior failure in the models could be predicted with accurate results. Furthermore, computational models were developed to compare against experimental tests. The results obtained from the simulation showed that the proposed modeling may be effectively used to verify the experimental results.