3D analytical and numerical upper‐bound homogenization approaches to the in‐plane strength domain of a running‐bond masonry wall

Abstract

AbstractThe present paper proposes a new homogenization method in order to determine the in‐plane strength domain of a single‐wythe, running‐bond masonry wall. Two approaches, one analytical and one numerical, relying on the limit analysis/yield design framework, are introduced. The main novelty of these two approaches is that they allow to take into account a finite strength for the blocks and the mortar, as well as a non‐zero thickness for the joints, without any specific assumption on the state of stress or strain of the structure. For that purpose, 3D virtual failure mechanisms are considered. A comprehensive parametric study is performed, showing that in many cases, the analytical approach is as precise as the numerical one for a much lower computational cost. Finally, the strength domains obtained by the proposed approaches are compared to the results of an extensive experimental study on reduced‐scale masonry wallettes available in the literature, showing a good agreement in the compression‐compression range.