Strengthening and Repair Methods for Brick Arched Balconies

Many buildings important for historical heritage preservation have visible cracks and exhibit damages on walls, lintels and balconies. Balconies as outer structural elements that protrude from walls are exposed to intense weather conditions, making them one of the most damaged parts of the buildings. Majority of balconies consist of steel beams interconnected with masonry. Often masonry is divided into segmental arched slabs that allow to extend the overall length of balconies spans. Methods of strengthening the balconies are still insufficiently developed. There are still shortcoming in the notion of balconies strength limit. Visible signs of cracking do not always mean that the balcony must be dismantled. Often just simple repairs are sufficient to maintain the structural integrity. There are no clearly specified how-to solutions that incorporate the preservation state of art. Article analyses the models of destruction of masonry arches commonly found in balconies. Tests were performed at West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin. The tests were conducted on partial models of arched spans. Model were imposed with single downward axial force or force applied unsymmetrically. Study compares model with or without additional FRP mats. Repair solutions were proposed dependent on destruction type.