Abstract
Abstract One of the challenges in the investigation of structural masonry is the correlation between the thickness of the laying joints and the global resistance of the masonry. Many authors developed experimental correlations in the attempt to establish an analytical relation between the joint thickness and the resistance of the masonry. All these projects indicate that there are many parameters and considerations to be analyzed in the understanding this relation and in understanding the collapse of the masonry as a whole. Thus, in an attempt to contribute with this field of study, the present paper investigates the influence of the thickness of the mortar laying joint in the resistance of the masonry structure. With the objective of experimentally establishing a relation between the joint thickness and the resistance of the masonry, rupture trials were held to the axial compression of three block prisms laid with five series of thicknesses: 8mm, 12.5mm, 10mm, 15mm and 20mm. The physical and mechanic description of all the components that made up the masonry were done separately, complying with the regulations. Through a simplified statistical analyses, presented at the end of this study, values of resistance of each series of prisms associated to a specific thickness for the laying joint are shown. Through the comparison of the specific results of the analyzed specimen, we arrived at the suggestion of a better performance joint and it was also possible to establish a behavioral tendency, through the comparison of results, helping in the understanding of how the block-joint set behave monolithically from the determination of the individual characteristics of each element. Which is one of the keys that will permit the constructions of a behavioral model capable of assisting structural analysts in their structural masonry dimensioning techniques.
Highlights
Material and experimental programStructural brickwork is a constructive process, in which components are used to seal the construction and to resist forces simultaneously
In an attempt to contribute with this field of study, the present paper investigates the influence of the thickness of the mortar laying joint in the resistance of the masonry structure
The results of the relation between the prism ruptures and the joint thickness, follow the tendency shown by Ramalho e Corrêa [3], Medeiros [4] e Mohamad [6], where it is verified that the bigger the thickness the lower is the resistance achieved by the set
Summary
Structural brickwork is a constructive process, in which components are used to seal the construction and to resist forces simultaneously. In Brazil, the use of hollow concrete blocks and the laying with a mixture of mortar and chalk gained popularity, the Brazilian standard NBR 15961-1 [2] recommends the use of joints with thickness of 10 mm with variation of + - 3 mm [3] Many authors such as Medeiros and Sabbatini [4], Freitas [5] studied the prisms’ behavior as to the joint thickness function and verified that the increase of the thickness causes a considerable reduction to the brickwork’s resistance. This work, in addition to using the results collected will contribute with new data for continuity of the line of research through future work
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