Bonding of Natural Fiber Composites onto Masonry to Addition- ally Improve Earthquake-prone Buildings

Synthetic fibers are used in most of the research on masonry reinforcement, but the synthetic fibers are only available to a limited extent and moreover cost-intensive. In the fu- ture a good alternative for the strengthening of masonry structures could be natural fiber mats, like jute, hemp, flax, sisal, or Abaca. Natural fibers combine good mechanical properties with a low price. Other important advantages of natural fibers is the fact that they are environmentally superior to synthetic fibers. In the following research, jute was mainly used because it is the most common and cheapest of natural fibers.