Abstract
Masonry bricks were widely used in construction of the walls in most of Chinese historical buildings. The low strength of lime–clay mortar used in existing historical brick masonry walls has usually led to poor performance such as cracking and collapse during earthquakes. As the composition of modified oyster shell ash mortar (MOSA mortar) with higher strength is similar to that of lime–clay mortar, it can be used to partially replace original lime–clay mortar for historical brick masonry buildings in order to improve their seismic performance. Previous research has proven that this strengthening method for brick masonry is effective in improving shear strength. In this paper, we present further experimental research regarding the compressive behaviors of brick masonry strengthened by replacing mortar with a MOSA mortar. The test results showed that the compressive strength of brick masonry specimens strengthened by the proposed method meets the design requirements. The formula for calculating compressive strength for brick masonry strengthened by replacing mortar was obtained by fitting the test results. The calculated values were consistent with the tested ones. In addition, the stress–strain relationship of tested specimens under axial compression was simulated using the parabolic model.
Highlights
In recent years, local governments in China have strengthened the protection of historical buildings in their jurisdictional areas
The in-situ detection carried out on these historical buildings indicates that most of the compressive strength of the lime–clay mortar used in their masonry walls are only about 1 MPa [1]
Compression tests of one leaf stone masonry walls both in their original state and after injection with lime mortar were performed by Almeida et al The results showed a relatively low stiffness, which increased about three times after injection [6]
Summary
Local governments in China have strengthened the protection of historical buildings in their jurisdictional areas. The in-situ detection carried out on these historical buildings indicates that most of the compressive strength of the lime–clay mortar used in their masonry walls are only about 1 MPa [1]. This is recognized as one of the biggest threats for the seismic performance of these buildings. Aiming at the strengthening method by replacing mortar, compressive experiments were carried out to investigate the compressive behaviors of brick masonry walls strengthened by partially replacing the original low strength mortar with MOSA mortar.
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