Study on the enhancement coefficient of the local compressive strength improvement of masonry under a cantilever beam

Abstract

Locally compressed masonry under a cantilever beam is restrained by the surrounding masonry, resulting in improved local compressive strength. The code for design of masonry structures stipulates that the enhancement coefficients of the local compressive strength of masonry(γ) with single- and T-wall supporting cantilever beams are 1.25 and 1.5, respectively; however, these two values, which stem from the material performance test of masonr’s local compressive strength, are not testified from the local compression of masonry under cantilever beam. Further, the γ of L-shaped wall supporting cantilever beam is not presented in the Code. This study theoretically deduced the effective length of the masonry’s compressive stress distribution based on the elastic foundation beam theory, obtaining the theoretical results in good agreement with the test values. The theoretical, test, and code values of the effective length of the masonry’s compressive stress distribution were adopted for calculating γ with single- and T-wall supporting cantilever beams, revealing the code value of γ was relatively small. Herein, the enhancement coefficient of the local compressive strength of masonry has been investigated using an L-shaped wall supporting cantilever beam; according to the calculation results, an enhancement coefficient of 1.4 is recommended for safety reasons.