The predictability of masonry arch bridges and their behaviour is widely considered doubtful due to the lack of knowledge about the conditions of a given masonry arch bridge. The assessment methods for masonry arch bridges are MEXE, ARCHIE, RING and Frame Analysis Method. The material properties of the masonry and fill material are extremely difficult to determine accurately. Consequently, it i...

This paper presents part of a research into the small scale modelling of masonry. Small scale testing of masonry has been carried out by many authors, but few have attempted a systematic determination of the parameters that affect masonry at a small scale. The effect of increasing mortar strength and different sand gradings under compression were investigated. The results show masonry strength ...

This paper presents part of a research into the small scale modelling of masonry. Small scale testing of masonry has been carried out by many authors, but few have attempted a systematic determination of the parameters that affect masonry at a small scale. The effect of increasing mortar strength and different sand gradings under compression were investigated. The results show masonry strength ...

The mechanical response of stone masonry depends on the properties of the components and also on the typology created by the stone units and the mortar joints. While the influence of the component strength on masonry is relatively well studied, mainly due to the difficulty of varying the masonry typology systematically, few research studies have been devoted to its influence on masonry properti...

When testing multi-storey structures, most testing facilities require the testing of a reduced-scale model. A literature review on tests of scaled masonry structural components revealed that scaling of masonry was rather challenging and often significant differences in stiffness, strength and failure mechanisms between the different sized masonry were reported. This paper addresses the scaling ...

Since the establishment of ASTM standard C91, masonry cement mortars have become widely used for masonry construction in low to moderate seismic regions. However, the Masonry Standards Joint Committee Code prohibits the use of masonry cement mortars in lateral force resisting systems for structures that fall into Seismic Design Categories D, E, and F. The general objective of this study is to e...

Masonry has low cohesive strength and is susceptible to the brittle failure, when subjected to induced tensile stresses. It fails due to lateral tensile stresses even when masonry prisms are tested in uni-axial static compression and the stress-strain curve remains almost linear up to failure. Although masonry normally resists compressive forces, under lateral in-plane cyclic loads some parts o...

Given that concrete masonry walls are expected to experience shrinkage combined with thermal expansion and contraction, and in some cases even carbonation, throughout their service life, cracking is to be expected. However, after concrete masonry walls have been placed into service, originally anticipated and accounted for cracking is often misdiagnosed as a structural defect. Such misdiagnoses...

The highly composite and anisotropic nature of masonry, which is a result of the variation in the properties of the masonry constituents, makes it very difficult to find an accurate material model to predict its behaviour satisfactorily. Current research by the authors has focused more closely on the behaviour of laterally loaded masonry wall panels using model updating techniques supported by ...

In this paper, earthquake-resistance behaviors of existing masonry structures are evaluated based on a certain masonry building. The existing masonry structure is evaluated in its defects of primary design and construction measurements, seismic bearing capacity and durability. Based on results of evaluation, the seismic reinforcement design is introduced for improving earthquake-resistance beha...