Abstract
Abstract This study aims to evaluate the adherence between clay blocks and grouts. For this purpose, push-out and pull-out tests were performed to assess the adherence presented by different combinations of five types of clay blocks and two types of grouts. The results demonstrated that the geometry of the cells of the clay blocks has a preponderant role in their adherence with grout, as the extent of the contact area between grout and block depends on the geometry of the cell. The shrinkage of the grout can cause the formation of cracks at the interface between block and grout, reducing the adherence between the materials. The shrinkage formed inside each type of block can be estimated based on the testing procedure developed in this research and used in conjunction with the geometric characteristics of the cells of the blocks to estimate the maximum load in the push-out tests. The test procedure developed to estimate the percentage of contact area lost due to grouts shrinkage shows to be promising, since its results were used in the equation to estimate the bond strength between blocks and grouts and shown good correlation. However, more study must be done because there are other variables that can affect the results. These results show that it is possible to use different characteristics of blocks and grouts to increase the adherence between these materials and provide a better behavior for reinforced masonry structures. However, it looks like if block types with a grooved hollow cell are used, a bigger contact surface is produced, and a higher bond strength appears to be assured.
Highlights
IntroductionGrout is often used to improve the mechanical properties of structural members
In masonry structures, grout is often used to improve the mechanical properties of structural members
5 CONCLUSIONS The objective of this article was to evaluate the adherence between five different types of fired clay blocks and two types of grouts
Summary
Grout is often used to improve the mechanical properties of structural members. The behavior of masonry structures is influenced by the physical and mechanical properties of the materials used in their construction and, by the characteristics of these materials in the contact interface. These characteristics have a fundamental role in the distribution of stresses and deformations among the various components that have contact surfaces. According to Kingsley et al [1], due to the porous nature of the clay blocks, they tend to absorb water from the grout, the instant they come into contact The magnitude of this absorption depends on the properties of block and grout. The load capacity of the walls with this second rupture mode was lower than that presented by the first one, indicating that a greater adherence between grout and blocks could improve the results
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