Masonry columns confined with glass textile-reinforced high ductile concrete (TRHDC) jacket

In this study, a new type of composite comprised of glass textiles embedded in the short fiber reinforced cementitious composite, referred to as textile-reinforced high ductile concrete (TRHDC), is explored for use in the confinement of masonry columns. This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the effect of TRHDC jacket on the compressive behavior of clay brick masonry columns. Six unconfined and twelve confined columns with a rectangular cross-section are tested under monotonic concentric and eccentric loads. Test parameters are binding mortar grade and loading eccentricity. The data in terms of failure mode, peak load, stress-strain and moment-curvature response are analyzed and discussed. The test results indicate that TRHDC confinement can clearly improve both the load carrying capacity and the deformability of masonry columns relative to the unconfined condition. However, a noticeable reduction in peak load is observed under strain gradient condition with the increase of eccentricity level. Analytical models available in the literatures are used to predict the strength increase from the TRHDC jacket, with certain models predicting the confined compressive strength accurately. For the eccentrically-loaded masonry columns confined with TRHDC jacket, the confined compressive strength is reduced depending on the eccentricity ratio (e/h) to evaluate the axial load carrying capacity. The predicted values are in agreement with test results but should need further experimental investigations in the future to verify the reliability of expressions rather than those used in this paper.