Lateral load tests were conducted, for four scaled-down (1 : 4) bridge piers made of low-strength concrete, with two of them having 12.4 MPa up to the damage state, and the other two having 16.5 MPa. These damaged bridge piers were then retrofitted with carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) wrapping in single and double layers, and tested again under the same cyclic quasi-static loading. A numerical investigation of these bridge piers was carried out, and the results of the energy dissipation are presented. The numerical results were in good agreement with the experimental results and reveal that, with increasing the number of layers of CFRP on a bridge, there is an increased amount of energy dissipation and hence ductility of the pier. The CFRP retrofitted piers not only recover their original strength, but the lateral load capacity is also increased considerably.

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The rising cost of construction materials need to adhere alternate construction techniques and materials. Mud brick is one of the common and basic construction units since thousands of years. In this research study the bricks with mechanical interlocking mechanism are used for comparison over economical, sustainable, environment friendly and fast track construction especially for the flood and earthquake affected areas. Naturally destructive areas require quick rehabilitation of the displaced people. A parametric study has been performed in compassion with conventional brick masonry. Performance evaluation for construction cost and time has been studied along with the durability of system to check the acceptability of mortarless masonry construction technique.