Author
R POPESCU(1), G H POPESCU(1) and A CRAIFALEANU(2)
([1]) IPCT Structuri SRL, Senior Research Engineer, Bucharest, Romania, ipctstructuri@yahoo.com
(2) Politehnica University of Bucharest, PhD, Associate Professor, Romania

Abstract
An important proportion of the building stock in Romania consists of pre-code unreinforced masonry buildings, which do not comply with the requirements of the present Romanian seismic code. A number of these buildings are historical monuments, while others cannot be demolished for social and economic reasons. Consequently, retrofitting is the only acceptable solution in order to ensure their seismic safety.
At present, jacketing is the most common and cost-effective solution used in Romania for the retrofitting of masonry walls.
This paper presents an analytical method for the calculation of the lateral strength capacity of unreinforced masonry elements, and its adaptation to account for the presence of jacketing. The method is applied to the retrofitting of rectangular or multiflanged masonry walls. Based on some case studies, comparisons are made between the pre- and post-retrofitting strength capacities of unreinforced masonry walls.