Effect of the presence of mortar joints in the bond behaviour of tuff masonry elements

In this paper, the bond behaviour of masonry elements made of tuff stone and bonded with different types of FRP fabrics (glass, carbon, basalt) has been investigated through an experimental campaign. Tuff is a natural stone representing a very common base material for the construction of masonry buildings in Southern Italy and many Mediterranean areas. Two series of specimens have been tested: 1) single blocks and 2) prisms made of three blocks and two mortar joints. The tests have been carried out according to a single-lap shear scheme according to a push-pull set-up. Presence of a plastering was also investigated for both series. The experimental results have been examined in terms of both debonding load and local stress transfer phenomena in order to evidence the performance of the different fibres and the effect of both mortar joints and plastering.