A mixed solution strategy for the nonlinear analysis of brick masonry walls Original Research Article

The paper presents a discrete mechanical model for masonry walls based on a Lagrangean description where each brick is described as a rigid body and each mortar joint as an interface element. Constitutive assumptions, characterized by elasticity, damage and friction, are associated to the joints only. A numerical solution strategy, based on a mixed path-following approach in terms of stresses, strains, displacements, damage and load parameters, is proposed for avoiding convergence problems related to the joint softening behaviour. Some numerical results are also presented showing the robustness and effectiveness of this proposal.