Evaluation of prism and diagonal tension strength of masonry form-block walls reinforced with steel fibers

Abstract In this paper, the prism and diagonal tension strength of the form-block reinforced with steel fiber developed for improvement of tensile stiffness and crack control performance are evaluated through a series of test. The key parameters of the tests are the steel fiber types that were used for reinforcing block, the strength of concrete and grout mortar as fillers, and the strength of joint mortar. Also, by comparing the design equations in Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) Code for block masonry, the performance of the proposed form-block was evaluated. As a result, when the steel fiber is incorporated into the block, the prism strength increases, and in particular, the long-fiber-reinforced block shows the highest strength. However, the diagonal tension strength of the block wall did not show any significant change even though the steel fiber was incorporated, but the stiffness was improved. In particular, the use of long-fiber-reinforced blocks improves initial tensile stiffness compared with short-fiber-reinforced blocks.