Calibration of a total strain crack model for adobe masonry based on compression and diagonal compression tests

Abstract

Although it has good compressive behavior, adobe masonry is classified as a quasi-brittle material mainly due to its relative low tensile strength and softening behavior after the peak tensile strength. The behavior, plus the high variability in the adobe mechanical properties, makes it difficult to evaluate the performance of entire adobe buildings. For such a purpose, the development of reliable and computationally efficient numerical approaches is required. This work shows a numerical methodology to calibrate the main mechanical parameters to be used in the numerical modeling of adobe samples following the finite element method (FEM) by using the Total-Strain Crack model. The present paper shows that this numerical model is able to represent the nonlinear behavior of the adobe masonry. The calibration process is based on preliminary experimental tests performed on masonry prisms (piles and wallets) subjected to axial compressive and diagonal compression loads, respectively. The main results show that it is possible to model adobe masonry in practice. A consistent reproduction of the cracking pattern from experimental tests is obtained. By using the calibrated properties, this work may be extended to evaluate the seismic vulnerability of complete adobe structures. • A total-strain crack model is calibrated based on experimental tests. • The model captures well the highly non-linear behavior of adobe masonry. • The tensile strength controls the end of the elastic behavior in the model. • The tensile fracture energy controls the nonlinear behavior in the model.