In this study, an attempt is made to numerically simulate the behavior of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) and Polypropylene (PP) band composite using the Applied Element Method (AEM). Both of these materials have their own unique properties. FRP is used to increase the strength, whereas PP-band is used to increase the deformation capacity and energy dissipation capacity of masonry wall system.
Masonry, through its long history, is widespread used around the world and still remains a main building material in many places especially developing countries. However a poorly designed masonry is known as brittle and susceptible to the earthquake. To improve their seismic capacity, polypropylene band retrofitting technique method was purposed base on economic point of view and local availability of material and skilled labor. In this study, we proposed 3-D Applied Element Method as analysis tools to help understanding the polypropylene band retrofitted masonry behavior which will be benefit in the future design process. Unlike the previous version, 3-D Applied Element Method elements can be any rectangular prism which helps reducing the number of elements.