Construction and Building Materials 16 (2002) 377–378
Editorial
Building Civil Structures and Masonry Structures
The presentations of Day 3 were approximately 30 on
different topics: masonry structures, timber structures,
seismic strengthening and NDT for investigation. The
presentations were very interesting particularly the ones
concerning the research on new and traditional repair
techniques applied to masonry, timber and concrete
structures. During the meeting of the Editors of the
‘Construction and Building Materials J’, it was decided
that a special issue on Day 3 should be published. The
choice among so many high level papers was not easy
and unfortunately some of the invited authors could not
be reached or did not answer. Finally some of the papers
have been selected for the special issue. In the following
a short presentation of the proposed papers is given:
C.A. Anagnostopoulos, A.C. Anagnostopoulos: The
usual problems encountered during restoration of a his-
torical masonry with strong adhesion mortars, are the
irreversibility of the method, the incompatibility between
the old and new mortar and the lowering of the masonry
porosity, resulting in the increase of humidity. For these
reasons, mortars with controlled strength and porosity
have been designed and studied, in order to be used in
restoration of ancient masonries.
C. Modena, M.R. Valluzzi, R. Tongini Folli, L. Binda:
A presentation is given of the fundamental design
choices and of the selection of the most appropriate
materials and techniques for which have been made for
strengthening the Monza Cathedral Bell-Tower, based on
investigation and structural assessment carried out prior
to and during the design process.
The results of the experimental and numerical inves-
tigation are previously given in order to explain the rea-
sons for the design choice.
A.M. Memari, E.F.P. Burnett, B.M. Kozy: One of the
concerns with the conventional metal anchors that are
used to tie the brick veneer to the backup portion of
enclosure walls (e.g. masonry block) is the potential for
corrosion. Corrosion reduces the load-carrying capacity
of such ties and this could lead to brittle failure espe-
cially in the event of an earthquake. In this paper, the
forces in lateral ties in a typical brick veneer wall system
are evaluated when the building is subjected to some
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earthquake records. Distribution of tie forces resulting
from the dynamic analysis of a finite element model of
the brick veneer-masonry block wall system are deter-
mined and compared to the conventional assumption.
The performance of a corrosion resistant stainless steel
helical tie is compared with that of conventional mason-
ry ties. The potential advantages of this relatively new
type of masonry tie are discussed with respect to its use
in seismic regions.
M.R. Valluzzi, D. Tinazzi, C. Modena: An experimen-
tal study, performed on brick masonry panels strength-
ened by Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) laminates, was
aimed to investigate the efficiency of an alternative shear
reinforcement technique. A series of 9 unreinforced
masonry (URM) panels and 24 strengthened panels have
been subjected to diagonal compression tests. Different
reinforcement configurations were evaluated. Experi-
mental results pointed out that FRP reinforcement
applied only at one side of the panels did not signifi-
cantly modify the shear collapse mechanisms (diagonal
splitting) of the URM; while double-side configurations
provided a less brittle failure and a noticeable ultimate
capacity increase. Performances of the different rein-
forcement configurations are compared in terms of
strength and mechanism of failure; finally, experimental
results are also used to calibrate existing analytical for-
mulations for ultimate shear strength prediction.
D.W. Radford, D. Van Goethem, R.M. Gutkowski,
M.L. Peterson: An approach, using pultruded compos-
ites, to rejuvenate low aspect ratio timber beams, which
model railroad bridge span timbers, is described. The
approach focuses on overcoming the loss of shear prop-
erties by inserting fiberglass pultruded rods from the bot-
tom to the top of the beam, through areas of damage.
The concept includes the incorporation of an adhesive
during the process of insertion, which not only bonds
the reinforcing rods in-place, but also, fills adjacent
cracks. Scale beam testing, with a variety of reinforce-
ment cases, has been performed and the overall results
are extremely positive, with test beams showing strong
recovery of flexural properties and improvement in the
strain to failure.
378
R. Folic, V. Radonjanin, M. Malesev: The fire which
spread over the last six floors of the 54 m tall building
of the Open University in Novi Sad, caused severe dam-
age to the load-bearing reinforced (RC) concrete struc-
ture and the steel facade structure.
The paper presents the recorded data on the damage
and the assessment of the structure after the fire. All the
damage is described, and the most characteristic ones are
illustrated with photographs. The damage caused by the
fire has been classified according to the criteria of the
manner and degree to which they are manifested. The
authors separate and describe the defects, which
occurred as a result of errors made during the construc-
Editorial
tion of the structure. The results of the subsequent testing
of the quality of the built-in materials are also presented
in the paper.
It has been concluded that the damage of the elements
of the load-bearing RC structure from the 8th to the 12th
floor has been so severe that the stability and bearing
capacity of this part of the structure have been jeopard-
ized, but with appropriate repair measures it can be
restored to the previous condition.
L. Binda
Politecnico di Milano,
Department of Structural Engineering,
Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy