Strapping Spiral Ties for Short Tie-Columns in Confined Masonry Walls Using a Micro-Numerical Model

Many dwellings in the world are built using confined masonry walls. Confinement is achieved by tie-columns and bond beams of reinforced concrete. These tie columns are traditionally reinforced by using closed-loop ties. In this paper, a new type of ties for tie columns is presented: strapping spiral ties. These strapping ties are compared against traditional ties by a three-dimensional micro-numerical model and the experimental behavior of short tie columns. This study resulted in an improvement in the compressive strength, in the degree of confinement of the concrete, and in the efficiency of tie-columns with strapping spiral ties. In addition, an increase in the stiffness at the unloading stage was also obtained.