Experimental analysis of the out-of-plane behaviour of a brick masonry wall: preliminary results

Abstract

Past earthquakes demonstrated that local out-of-plane collapses of brick masonry walls, particularly façades, are common even under moderate loads and a correct interpretation and assessment of their out-of-plane response is still a complex challenge. The present paper aims at contributing to the better understanding of clay brick masonry walls behaviour, through experimental analysis in laboratory environment. An extensive testing programme is carried out in the facility of the University of Minho, encompassing the characterisation of the mechanical properties of the materials through destructive and non-destructive techniques and a quasi-static test with airbag on a clay brick masonry specimen with U-shaped plan. Here, we present and discuss the preliminary results of such a thorough investigation.