Use of FRCM for the blast retrofit of load-bearing masonry walls in older buildings**

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Recent events have highlighted the need to protect civilian infrastructure against the effects of blast loads caused by bomb attacks or accidental explosions. A large portion of Canada's older building inventory is of unreinforced masonry (URM), built prior to modern codes, making them especially vulnerable to collapse under the effects of out-of-plane blast loads. Thus, there is an important need to develop novel methods to retrofit URM walls in vulnerable structures (Government offices, Embassies, etc.) to improve blast performance and ensure safety of Canadians. ****This project will examine the potential of using a novel composite strengthening system developed by Simpson Strong Tie to increase the out-of-plane blast resistance of URM walls in older masonry buildings. The retrofit involves the installation of a thin Fabric-Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM), which combines a high-performance cementitious mortar with a carbon-fiber grid, to create a thin structural layer that can be used to strengthen deficient URM walls in older buildings. As part of the project, two full-scale URM walls, one made of concrete masonry and one made of stone masonry, will be retrofitted with the FRCM system and tested under blast loads using the University of Ottawa Shock-tube, which is capable of safely and accurately simulating the blast loads generated by explosions. The project will result in a novel retrofit method that will increase the blast safety of buildings in Canada.**