Fatigue characteristics of ancient brick masonry under cyclic load

In this study, a low-cycle fatigue test was conducted using an MTS793 electro-hydraulic servo fatigue testing machine and a VIC-3D image acquisition system to explore the effects of different loading frequencies and upper limit stress amplitudes on the fatigue damage characteristics of ancient brick masonry. The test results indicated prominent fatigue damage characteristics and shaping of the ancient brick masonry under cyclic load. The axial deformation development of ancient brick masonry consists of three stages that result in fatigue damage evolution and macroscopic fracture. These stages include a large maximum cyclic stress amplitude, low loading frequency, and a larger hysteresis loopback during the loading and unloading area. The plastic stress variable of each loop increases, and the fatigue life of the specimen decreases with the increase in the sample fatigue damage rate.