An extensive experimental program has been performed in the last ten years at the University of Brescia to show the effectiveness of Steel Fiber Reinforced Mortar (SFRM) coating in seismic strengthening or repairing existing masonry buildings. The tests carried out on different masonry members (i.e., shear walls, panels under diagonal compression) as well as on a full-scale hollow clay block masonry building highlighted that both single-sided and double-sided retrofitting may significantly increase the lateral resistance of the structure, provided that proper detailing is adopted (e.g., coating thickness > 25mm, effective coating-masonry connectors, proper steel fiber typology and content, etc.).

The paper reports and briefly discusses an analytical model developed and validated elsewhere by the authors. To further prove its effectiveness, the model was used to predict the lateral resistance of the full-scale test building mentioned above. As the calculation was based on limit analysis, particular attention was paid to the schematization of the expected fracture lines affecting the piers before and after retrofitting. The analysis results showed that the application of the SFRM coating may change the failure mechanisms of the structure leading to a significant increase of the in-plane resistance, especially when coating-to-foundation steel connections are adopted.

Eventually, the manuscript reports the discussion of a case study focusing on the seismic analysis and verification of a real two-story residential building performed by the proposed analytical model. The results of the global seismic assessment of the building were compared with those provided by non-linear static analyses carried out with the finite element program Midas FEA.