Concentrated loads on hollow clay masonry

Abstract

The strength of solid masonry beneath a concentrated load is enhanced by the strengthening effect of the more lightly stressed surrounding material. Masonry design codes do not differentiate between solid and hollow masonry in this respect, but enhancement with face-shell bedded hollow masonry is open to question, since failure occurs by splitting of the webs, a totally different failure to that of solid masonry. In the investigation described here, wallettes of face-shell bedded hollow clay masonry were subjected to in-plane concentrated loads to failure. Thirty-four wallettes, some plain and others with bond beams, were subjected to either concentric or eccentric concentrated loads through various sized loading plates. The wallettes failed by local web splitting like face-shell bedded hollow masonry subjected to uniaxial compression. The testing program is described together with the mechanisms of failure, the dispersion of load through bond beams, and the influence of bond beam grout strength. It is shown that strength is enhanced on the basis of loaded length rather than loaded area ratio. Key words: masonry, failure, concentrated loads, hollow, clay, face-shell bedding.