An evaluation of mechanical properties of clay brick for masonry wall in Indonesia

Abstract

In principle, the main construction of the non-engineered building in Indonesia is the wooden structure. It can be seen from traditional houses in Indonesia. However, In the last two centuries, the use of brick masonry as wall component has been becoming the primary material. Another side, some places in Indonesia are the seismic areas and earthquake-prone areas. Learning from the earthquake that has happened in the last ten years, the building that used clay brick for masonry wall mostly suffered damage and destruction when subjected to a relatively high intensity of the earthquake. This paper used data from several places and some references. There have significant differences in the mechanical properties of the bricks. Generally, Indonesian bricks masonry have limited capability and substantial differences in the mechanical properties when compared to another country bricks. By the considering, the Indonesian bricks masonry that has low mechanical properties, so that it is proposed to use brick masonry to non-seismic only. It should be considered to use clay brick as the main component of the wall for a particular region in Indonesia. Next, the zoning of allowed masonry structure in Indonesia is proposed.