Improvement in mechanical properties of brick masonry with the help of engineered cementitious composites (ECC)

The purpose of this study is to experimentally investigate the performance of brick masonry specimens, strengthened with fiber-reinforced Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECCs). Testing of constituent materials and masonry prisms were included in the experimental program of the study. Material testing included compression and flexure strength of brick samples, compression test of ordinary mortar, and ECC cubes. Moreover, a total of 6 brick masonry prisms of 508 mm × 406 mm (20″ × 18″) were tested for compressive strength. Three samples consisted of ordinary plaster, while in the remaining three samples, the ordinary plaster was replaced with 10-mm-thick ECC plaster. Similar plaster strategy was used for six masonry walls tested for diagonal tension having dimension of 1219 mm × 1219 mm (48″ × 48″). This study has found that the ECC plaster can effectively enhance the shear strength and principal tensile strength by 33.7%, compressive strength by 48.2%, and energy absorption capacity of brick masonry by 125.4%, while the estimated lateral load capacity against seismic forces has been improved by 34%. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.