Experimental investigation of brickwork behaviour under shear, compression and flexure

This paper presents the basic material performance data for an engineering blue brick and a hydraulic premixed mortar which can be used to validate numerical models. The shear behaviour of brickwork mortar joints under normal compression was studied and the influence of specimen moisture content at the time of testing on strength was investigated. Tests were performed on brickwork walls to study the shear failure under flexure and different shear loading configurations. A linear relationship between the shear strength and applied normal stress has been established, with different parameters defined for the mortar and the brick/mortar interface. The experimental results are compared to Eurocode 6 predictions and theoretical calculations. It is concluded that Eurocode 6 is conservative for this masonry type.