Strength of reinforced block structures for civil infrastructure protection
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33271/crpnmu/86.264Keywords:
block masonry, construction materials, GFRP reinforcement, glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars, civil infrastructure, emergencies, out-of-plane bending, impulse loading, dynamic amplification factorAbstract
Purpose. To establish quantitative relationships between block-wall geometry, GFRP bar spacing, flexural capacity, and the limiting short-duration transverse load for preliminary design of protective civil infrastructure structures.
The methods. A 1 m wide equivalent one-way wall strip under out-of-plane bending was analysed. Capacity was determined from equilibrium and strain compatibility, cracked-section stiffness by the transformed-section method, and impulse response by a first-mode single-degree-of-freedom model. Parametric calculations were performed for wall thicknesses of 190, 240, and 290 mm and Ø12 mm GFRP bars at 300, 200, and 150 mm spacing.
Findings. For the reference wall, h = 190 mm with Ø12 mm GFRP bars at 200 mm spacing, the nominal bending moment was Mn = 36.27 kN·m/m, the design moment MR = 23.58 kN·m/m, and the equivalent static pressure pR,st = 32.75 kPa. The first-mode period of the cracked strip was T1 = 0.102 s. For 10, 20, and 40 ms rectangular impulses, the calculated pressure levels were 53.93, 28.30, and 17.35 kPa. Increasing wall thickness to 240 and 290 mm at 200 mm spacing increased pR,st to 51.36 and 72.80 kPa.
The originality. A coupled analytical relationship links the resistance of a reinforced block section with dynamic response through the first-mode period of the cracked wall. Increasing GFRP reinforcement raises flexural resistance and changes the natural period; therefore, reducing bar spacing has a nonlinear effect under short impulses.
Practical implementation. The relationships can be used for preliminary selection of block-wall thickness and GFRP spacing in protective civil infrastructure structures. The method does not replace certification tests, nonlinear finite-element analysis, or checks of anchorage, bond, fire resistance, and local failure.
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