Seismic performance enhancement of masonry building models strengthened with the cost-effective materials under bi-directional excitation

Abstract Unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings are prone to severe damage during an earthquake. A total collapse of these structures was witnessed in the past seismic events. Hence, the present study aims to enhance the seismic performance of single-storied scaled-down building models by strengthening with two cost-effective materials; polypropylene (PP) band and steel wire mesh. This is a quick and straightforward process which was followed for the strengthening purpose. Half-scale size of clay and fly-ash bricks were used for making the test specimens. Both URM and strengthened building models were subjected to bi-directional swept sine motion. Each damaged state of building models was reported during the loading sequence. The crack progressions and failure characteristics of the building models were thoroughly observed. Furthermore, arias intensity, acceleration amplification factor, and performance evaluation indices were determined forabetter understanding of the seismic response of the models. It was noticed that both the strengthening materials were effective and economical in improving the performance (strength, global stiffness, damage tolerance) of masonry building models adequately.