Experimental test on a fibre-reinforced scaled cross vault subjected to in-plane shear displacements at the springings

Abstract This work investigates the behaviour of unreinforced and reinforced cross vaults subjected to static shear deformation at the springings through an experimental campaign. An earlier companion paper discussed the results of a pseudo-static test performed on a 1:4 scaled model, built with timber blocks and lime mortar, applying shear displacements to two abutments until failure. This paper illustrates the effects of the same action applied to the same model after extrados reinforcement with Fibre Reinforced Polymer strips. Crack patterns and displacement evolution are presented and compared with those of the unreinforced model to evaluate the effectiveness of this seismic strengthening technique.