AXIAL COMPRESSION BEHAVIOR IN BRICK MASONRY WALLS: A COMBINED EXPERIMENTAL AND ANALYTICAL STUDY

Muhammad Zohaib Asim; Adnan Nawaz; Tahir Mehmood; Ali Siddique; Sajid Rasheed; Asim Sultan

Authors

Muhammad Zohaib Asim Lecturer, Civil Engineering Department, NUTECH, Islamabad 44000
Adnan Nawaz Chairman, Civil Engineering Department, COMSATS University Islamabad, Wah Campus, Wah Cantt 47040
Tahir Mehmood Director QEC, Civil Engineering Department, COMSATS University Islamabad, Wah Campus, Wah Cantt 47040
Ali Siddique Lecturer, Civil Engineering Department, NUTECH, Islamabad 44000
Sajid Rasheed Lecturer, Civil Engineering Department, NUTECH, Islamabad 44000
Asim Sultan Lecturer, Civil Engineering Department, NUTECH, Islamabad 44000

Keywords:

Digital Image Correlation, Analytical Model, Axial Compression, Masonry Structures, Height to Thickness Ratio

Abstract

In construction most of the buildings are constructed using brick as a load carry element while there are no standard guidelines and references to practice during preparation of bricks. There is no documented performance sheet available for the mechanical properties of bricks. In this study, bricks using different type of soil as per geological map of Pakistan manufactured by the conventional and zigzag technology are investigated for their mechanical properties. For the comparative analysis of the mechanical properties for the said brick types, 15 masonry prisms along with 10 masonry walls are constructed and investigated for the axial compression. Digital image correlation (DIC) is used to cross-validate the results of deformations measured with linear variable displacement transducer (LVDTs). Furthermore, software models using Abacus are used to correlate the damage analytically. It was observed that zig-zag bricks have more compressive strength than all other conventional bricks although bricks manufactured in Peshawar performed better than other counterparts. The results of this study can be used for designing the experimental program and effective decision-making techniques for mechanical properties of bricks in midrise masonry structure.

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