Assessment of Compressive Behavior of Concrete Masonry Prisms Partially Filled by General Mortar

Abstract

The usage of general mortar for embedding and partially filling units in masonry prisms was evaluated through compressive tests. Filled and unfilled prisms were tested to verify the differences in their compressive behavior. Four mortar mixes with three water/cement ratios for each mix were used in tests. Results indicated small differences between filled and unfilled masonry prisms. Mortar had a slight effect on the compressive strength of the masonry. A more significant effect, however, could be observed on secant elastic modulus, compressive fracture energy and deformations of masonry prisms. An analytical model to represent the stress versus strain diagram of masonry prisms was proposed which depends on the compressive strength of mortar and masonry prisms. Furthermore, results indicate that the use of general mortar for embedding and filling masonry prisms can offer a solution in terms of building technology.