Abstract
Nonhomogeneous material characteristics of masonry lead to complex fracture mechanisms, which require substantial analysis regarding the influence of masonry constituents. In this context, this study presents a discontinuum modeling strategy, based on the discrete element method, developed to investigate the tensile fracture mechanism of masonry wallettes parallel to the bed joints considering the inherent variation in the material properties. The applied numerical approach utilizes polyhedral blocks to represent masonry and integrate the equations of motion explicitly to compute nodal velocities for each block in the system. The mechanical interaction between the adjacent blocks is computed at the active contact points, where the contact stresses are calculated and updated based on the implemented contact constitutive models. In this research, different fracture mechanisms of masonry wallettes under tension are explored developing at the unit–mortar interface and/or within the units. The contact properties are determined based on certain statistical variations. Emphasis is given to the influence of the material properties on the fracture mechanism and capacity of the masonry assemblages. The results of the analysis reveal and quantify the importance of the contact properties for unit and unit–mortar interfaces (e.g., tensile strength, cohesion, and friction coefficient) in terms of capacity and corresponding fracture mechanism for masonry wallettes.
Highlights
Masonry is a heterogeneous, nonlinear, and composite construction material consisting of units and mortar
Utilizing the discontinuum masonry, this research aimed to better understand the influence of material properties in masonry representation masonry, this research aimed to better behavior, understand the influence material wallettes on the of fracture mechanism and stress–displacement subjected to tensionofparallel to properties bed joints. in masonry wallettes on the fracture mechanism and stress–displacement behavior, subjected to tension parallel to bed joints
The results of the analyses clearly show that the macro behavior of the of the masonry wallettes reveals two separate stress–displacement trends corresponding to strong unit–weak bond (SU-WB)
Summary
Nonlinear, and composite construction material consisting of units and mortar. The components within a masonry assemblage may have a considerable difference in terms of stiffness and strength, which makes it challenging to predict the deformation behavior (e.g., stress–displacement curve) of the material at the macro-level. The heterogeneous character of mortar, unit, and unit–mortar interface properties inherently leads to large scattering in the experimental results, as noted by several researchers [1,2]. From the computational point of view, most of the numerical models presented in the literature are deterministic and rely on the continuum-based representation of the masonry, described as an equivalent orthotropic continuum associated with either plasticity or damage constitutive laws.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
