Improve Ductility of Concrete

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System to Improve Ductility of Concrete Block Construction This technology is a reliable, cost-effective, and less labour-intensive technique to improve the strength of masonry shear walls The ductility of masonry shear walls is limited by compression failure of the concrete block at relatively low compression strain. Considerable research effort has previously been conducted to enhance the compression capacity of the wall, and to improve its ductility through a variety of confining techniques. However, achieving high ductility using current techniques involves practical difficulties as well as significantly increased labour costs. Additionally, the uncertainties attributed to the quality and effectiveness of these techniques have forced current codes to assign limited ductility values for this type of structures. The proposed technology offers a reliable, cost-effective, and less labour-intensive technique in achieving the desired level of ductility in a masonry shear wall. Advantages Cost-effective system to reinforce masonry walls. Reduces labour cost required to install concrete reinforcement Employs a standard masonry unit of standard size that does not require re-engineering of previously designed wall structures. Tech ID 11-006 Inventors H. Toopchi-Nezhad R. Drysdale M. Tait Patent Status Patents pending. Stage of Research Development and optimization of technology continues