Abstract

Dowels are connected to two masonry units in the vertical direction for the continuity and integrity of walls. According to the national and international literature, studies investigating the effectiveness of dowels on masonry walls are rare. This paper presents a preliminary experimental study performed on tuff stone masonry specimens with dowels to assess the effects of dowels on the shear capacity of masonry walls. For this aim, 54 masonry specimens, nine being controls without dowels and 45 with different dowel diameters and axial load levels, were tested under triplet test procedures, according to TS EN 1052-3 regulations. Numerical validations were performed using the LUSAS finite element software package. The experimental results were compared with numerical simulations. The present study reveals that dowels significantly improve the shear capacity of masonry walls. Furthermore, recommendations regarding suitable dowel ratios are made.

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