Strengthening strategies for masonry walls using ECC, steel mesh, and galvanized sheet reinforcement for sustainable construction

This research examines the structural behavior of reinforced masonry wall systems employing different strengthening techniques, including embedded steel mesh, engineered cementitious composites (ECC), vertical and diagonal steel strips, and galvanized steel sheets. An extensive experimental program was conducted to evaluate the effects of these techniques on cracking load, ultimate load, displacement behavior, energy absorption, and shear resistance. To complement the experimental work, a detailed finite element (FE) model was developed using ABAQUS, incorporating advanced material models such as Concrete Damaged Plasticity for mortar and Drucker–Prager plasticity for masonry units. The results demonstrated that ECC overlays significantly enhance wall performance, particularly when combined with embedded reinforcement. Vertical and diagonal reinforcement configurations were more effective than horizontal arrangements, as they intersect crack propagation paths and contribute to higher load capacity and energy dissipation. The most effective configuration combined diagonal reinforcement with embedded mesh, achieving the highest ultimate load and absorbed energy. The FE model showed strong agreement with experimental results in terms of initial stiffness, cracking behavior, and post-peak response. A parametric study on steel mesh reinforcement ratio revealed that increasing reinforcement content improves performance up to a threshold, beyond which masonry compression governs failure. Galvanized steel sheets, especially in orthogonal layouts, provided a practical alternative to mesh systems, offering notable structural benefits and ease of application. These findings support the use of hybrid and multi-directional reinforcement systems for enhancing the strength and ductility of masonry walls and validate the FE model as a reliable tool for further design and optimization.