The paper deals with enhancing the strength of original masonry with polymer grids by preserving its basic physical properties of strength, stiffness, and potential energy. The behavior of the original masonry is carefully analyzed. The adopted solution for seismic protection of masonry was based on Landau’s Theory of dislocation. The basic idea of the patented method of reinforcing original masonry was related to the vertical joints of the original masonry. The suitable reinforcement for the original masonry should have high strength and long durability. The paper is suggesting some applications of reinforcing the original masonry. The tests on physical models confirm the practical value of the proposed method of reinforcing the original masonry. The numerical models extend the field of application regarding the polymer grids as suitable reinforcements.

The paper deals with a comparative analysis between original and advanced masonry. Both are of high practical interest in buildings and monuments. Particularly, in seismic areas, where they are submitted to the strong actions of earthquakes, the Latin principle Primum non-nocere should be applied. That principle was considered by the Venice Chart in 1964. Later it was resumed by ICOMOS-Iscarsah Recommendations in 2001. The paper presents first some historical data for each type of masonry. The original masonry has a long history when it was well checked by time. On the contrary, the history of advanced masonry is very short. Among the basic proprieties of the original masonry is the ductility of the lime mortar. Its mechanical strengths are lower than that of bricks. In these conditions, the original masonry exhibits the phenomenon of self-defending by adaptation. It is not the case of the advanced masonry which remains stiff. By physical modeling, the main proprieties of original and advanced masonry were proved. Then, by numerical modeling, the testing results were generalized and prepared for further use in design and research. From the comparative analysis results that each of the two types of masonry has specific fields of application.