The dynamic response of unidirectional FRP strengthened masonry walls is
investigated. The examined walls are strengthened using externally bonded composite
materials. In this part of the paper, a nonlinear multilayered finite element for the
nonlinear dynamic analysis of the unidirectional strengthened wall is developed. The
formulation reduces the general 2D problem to a 1D form using high order
kinematic assumptions that are based on the static deformation fields in the
various components. The model aims to face the challenges associated with the
combination of length scales, differences in elastic properties, irregular points,
cracking, crushing, and inelastic behavior of the masonry substrate. The
geometrical nonlinearity, the layered configuration, and the variation of the
stresses through the depth the adhesive layers are also addressed. A numerical
study that examines the capabilities of the model and its convergence with
refinement of the spatial and temporal meshes is presented. Emphasis is
placed on the global nonlinear dynamic response, the local effects near the
joints, the interfacial stresses, and their temporal variation under dynamic
loads.
