Mesoscale Modelling of Masonry Structures using Mesh Tying

This paper presents an accurate and efficient computational strategy for the simulation of coupled masonry structures which combines a partitioned mesoscale modelling approach for brick-masonry components with a mortar mesh tying method for non-conforming interfaces. This allows the independent modelling of the individual structural components and the efficient tying of the subdomains with accurate transmission of the displacement and stress fields. This strategy enables the optimisation of the individual meshes leading to an increased computational efficiency. Furthermore, the elimination of the mesh compatibility requirement allows the modelling of complex heterogeneous structures. Some numerical examples, including a comparative analysis on the elastic and non-linear response of an infill masonry bridge and the nonlinear simulation of a multi-leaf wall under in plane and out-of-plane loading, are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed modelling strategy.