Statistical assessment of tensile and shear properties of unreinforced clay brick masonry

This paper presents the results of an extensive set of material characterisation tests performed on unreinforced clay brick masonry. The results of these experiments allow for the estimation of relationships between the measured material parameters. This study considers the relationships of flexural tensile bond strength to direct tensile bond strength, flexural to direct tensile strength of fired clay brick masonry units, and flexural tensile to shear bond strength. A mean ratio of flexural tensile bond strength to direct tensile bond strength of 2.06 and a COV of 31.5% were determined. For the flexural to direct tensile strength of fired clay brick masonry units, a mean ratio of 1.29 with a COV of 14.7% was estimated. Finally, considering the ratio of the shear bond to flexural tensile bond strengths, a mean ratio of 1.34 with a COV of 28.4% was found. In addition to these relationships, suitable probabilistic models were determined to describe the relationship between the flexural and direct tensile bond strengths, and the flexural tensile and shear bond strengths. These results may be used in future studies of URM structures, in particular finite element modelling and stochastic analyses of masonry.