Experimental characterization and empirical strength prediction of Pakistani brick masonry walls

This paper presents an extensive experimental characterization of Pakistani brick masonry walls under different brick and mortar typologies. The investigation involves separate tests on bricks and mortar and compression tests on entire masonry assemblies with three load directions: horizontal, vertical and diagonal. Additionally, 12 triplet masonry samples were tested to assess the friction coefficient and cohesion between bricks and mortar layers. The experimental results are used to calibrate an empirical equation for the masonry strength prediction. Based on existing literature, the strength depends on the slenderness ratio, the width–thickness ratio, and the strength of brick and mortar. The proposed equation also considers the wall width-to-thickness ratio, which is seldom considered in past studies. Additional empirical relationships have been derived between parameters such as the vertical and horizontal masonry strength, the Young's and shear moduli. A comprehensive comparative study validates the accuracy of the proposed equation, showing a good accuracy compared to a set of 33 experimental tests carried out in the last 40 years. The proposed equation can be used to predict Pakistani brick walls and other brick masonry typologies with an average absolute error equal to nearly 10%.