Reinforcing Building Facades with Geotextile Fabrics

An investigation is made of potential reinforcement to limit debris hazard of masonry facade walls of conventional buildings subjected to blast effects using geotextile fabrics anchored to the floor slabs and beams. Fourteen simulation tests using geotextile and geogrid fabrics were conducted to provide an initial evaluation of the performance of this protective system. The ultimate capacity, load-deflection, including the proposed connections of these retrofit systems were determined and recorded in these tests. The tests were conducted by increasing a uniform load (water pressure) in a $1.83\mathrm{m}$ diameter chamber. The tensile strength of the materials used in the experiments varied from 65 to $328\mathrm{N}∕\mathrm{m}$ . It was concluded from the experiments that the proposed system is a viable and a functional means for preventing propagation of wall debris. The primary parameters affecting its functionality were the tensile strength of the fabric and its anchorage into the conventional structure.