Experimental Properties of Flax- and Jute-Based Textile Reinforced Mortar Systems for Structural Strengthening of Masonry Walls

Nowadays, natural fibres are gaining attention together the growing interest towards bio-based building materials and construction systems. In this context, the use of natural textile for the realization of Textile Reinforced Mortars (TRM) have demonstrated good mechanical properties. The aim of this work is to analyse the capacity of natural textile embedded into the lime-based mortar to act as strengthening system for masonry structures. More specifically, coated and uncoated flax and jute were employed in several experimental campaigns performed at the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Salerno. As a matter of fact, different scales of investigation were performed: natural yarns, textile strips and composite system (including different amount and type of natural reinforcement) subjected to tensile loads. The results highlight excellent properties both in terms of tensile strength and ultimate displacement of the resulting composite systems. As a matter of principle, natural fibres demonstrate good tensile strength and adequate elastic modulus. Moreover, natural TRM registered a significant number of cracks formation and limited crack width and space when optimised systems were subjected to tensile loads. The proposed results confirm the potential natural fibres to be used as strengthening system for structural purposes.