Mortar Joints Influence in Debonding of Masonry Element Strengthened with FRP

The effects of mortars joints in masonry substrate reinforced with FRP is investigated from the numerical point of view. The analysis has been conducted by means of a new interface model specifically developed to reproduce the debonding process occurring between an elastic thin body in adhesion with a cohesive support material, as concrete or masonry. The model accounts for mode I and mode II of failure, considering the effect of the in-plane deformation of the interface, i.e. the possible elongation or confinement of the material constituting the interface. Numerical results are compared with experimental evidences showing the good performances of the proposed model in investigating the transferring phenomena in heterogeneous interfaces and, in particular, in studying the influence of the presence of mortar joints in the masonry texture in the debonding process.