Please cite this article in press as: F. Cakir, H. Uysal, Experimental modal analysis of brick masonry arches strengthened prepreg composites, Journal of Cultural Heritage (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2014.06.003 ARTICLE IN PRESS G Model CULHER-2869; No. of Pages 9 Journal of Cultural Heritage xxx (2014) xxx–xxx Available online at ScienceDirect www.sciencedirect.com Original article Experimental modal analysis of brick masonry arches strengthened prepreg composites Ferit Cakir a,∗ , Habib Uysal b,1 a Faculty of Architecture, Amasya University, Amasya, Turkey b Faculty of Engineering, Ataturk University, Yakutiye, Erzurum, Turkey a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 24 January 2014 Accepted 11 June 2014 Available online xxx Keywords: Polymer composites Prepreg composites Brick masonry arches Modal parameters Experimental modal analysis Finite element analysis (FEA) a b s t r a c t Polymer composites have been significantly used for strengthening of masonry structures in order to improve their structural behavior. In this study, the modal parameters and dynamic responses of the brick masonry arches, strengthened with prepreg polymer composites, have been experimentally assessed using experimental and numerical tests. The study was carried out in four major steps. Firstly, prepreg composites and traditional Horasan mortar were produced in the laboratory. In the second step, com- pression and tensile tests on the materials were conducted to determine the mechanical properties. In the third step, semicircular arches were built with masonry units and the prepreg composites were applied to four different strengthening configurations on the extrados and intrados surface of the arches. Finally, modal parameters of all arches were determined through experimental modal analysis method (EMA). After that, the results of the experimental analysis were compared with the numerical analysis. The results of the analyses show that the prepreg composites play an important role in the strengthening of the brick masonry arches and the prepreg composites enhance the frequencies and damping ratios of the brick masonry arches. © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. 1. Research aims The cultural heritage in the world and their preservation for the next generation is crucial. Many historical structures continue to offer services and historical values; and as such, it is important to understand their structural behavior and collapse mechanism when developing a plan for their preservation and retrofit. New restoration and retrofitting methods should be preferred where traditional methods are insufficient. New technologies that can be appealing to historical structures are emerging with current advancements in materials and construction techniques. The main objectives of this research are: • to show the importance of the prepreg composites and to prove a reliable approach for strengthening and retrofit of historical structures; • to evaluate the effectiveness of the prepreg composites for brick masonry arches in terms of dynamic loads; ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +903582421613; fax: +903582421617. E-mail addresses: ferit.cakir@amasya.edu.tr (F. Cakir), huysal@atauni.edu.tr (H. Uysal). 1 Tel.: +904422314772; fax: +904422360757. • to examine and prove the benefits of using the prepreg compos- ites in strengthening brick masonry arches. 2. Introduction The use of engineering materials has depended on their local availability, so far. However, the diversity of engineering materials has completely changed thanks to the innovations in material tech- nology. Modern technologies have greatly improved the efficiency of materials and workmanship. Especially, polymeric materials have been of significant importance to the engineering community for many years, and they have been broadly used in many different areas. Today, polymer materials are used as a strengthening material for existing and new structures because of their excellent engi- neering properties. They are significantly used for strengthening of masonry structures in order to increase their ultimate capac- ity. Many masonry structures have been built in earthquake prone zones and large portions of them are seismically unsafe. Thus, they have to be strengthened with convenient restoration materials. Over the years, engineers have strengthened masonry structures to withstand static and dynamic loads. In general, and to most extent, engineers have relied on several traditional strengthening materials that could be applied for masonry structures. However, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2014.06.003 1296-2074/© 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.