Brick Masonry Walls in Composite Action

Abstract

It has long been recognised that structural interaction takes place between a masonry wall and a supporting steel or concrete beam. In simplest terms this has been represented by assuming that the beam supports only part of the brickwork represented by a triangular load intensity diagram with zero ordinates at the supports and maximum loading at midspan. The loading from the remainder of the brickwork was assumed to be transmitted to the support points by arching action as indicated in figure 8.1a. While this is essentially a correct reflection of the structural behaviour of the system as far as it goes, it is of limited quantitative value because it fails to give any indication of the concentrated compressive stresses in the wall, which may be critical, or of the actual bending moments in the beam. Structural action in composite wall beam, (a) Arching forces in wall; (b) vertical and shear forces in beam