PriMera Scientific Engineering (ISSN: 2834-2550)

Research Article

Volume 6 Issue 3

Experimental Investigations on the Shear load-bearing Capacity of Thermal Insulating Clay Unit Masonry Walls

Franziska Amberger*, Detleff Schermer, Philipp Hofmann and Jonathan Meisner

February 28, 2025

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Abstract

Cyclic shear tests are a proven method for evaluating the load-bearing capacity and deformation behaviour of masonry walls under dynamic horizontal loads, such as those that occur during earthquakes. These tests reproduce the realistic behaviour of stiffening masonry walls in combination with floor slabs, as in real buildings the walls are subjected to both vertical and horizontal in-plane forces. The interaction with the reinforced concrete slabs leads to restraining effects which create counteracting bending moments and can be simulated using cyclic shear tests.

This paper describes cyclic shear tests on eight storey-high masonry walls made of highly thermally insulating clay units, which were carried out in the Laboratory for Structural Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Regensburg (OTH), Germany. The failure mechanisms were documented by digital image correlation. The test results are then compared with the expected calculated resistance values of the current design approaches according to DIN EN 1996-1-1/NA. Based on the calculation and the failure patterns from digital image correlation, it was possible to show that the standard correctly depicts the failure of the shear wall in some cases. For the majority of the wall configurations analysed, however, the results are on the safe side and show additional load-bearing capacity reserves.

Keywords: static-cyclic shear tests; insulating clay unit; unreinforced masonry; shear capacity; in-plane loadings; Eurocode 6

References

  1. EN 1996-1-1:2022 (2022) Eurocode 6: Design of masonry structures - Part 1-1: General rules for reinforced and unreinforced masonry structures.
  2. Schermer D, Ruppik M and Butenweg C. New approaches for the realistic design of masonry structures subject to horizontal loads. Research report on IGF projects Nr. 20988 N (2023).
  3. German Institute for Building Technology (2022) Masonry made of vertically perforated bricks UNIPOR WS09 CORISO using the thin-bed method with covered bed joint. General building authority approval Nr. 17.1-1066.
  4. prCEN/TS 1998-1-101 (2022) Eurocode 8: Design of structures for earthquake resistance – Part 1-101: Characterisation and qualification of structural components for seismic applications by means of cyclic tests.