INFLUENCE OF FIBER REINFORCED MORTAR ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF MASONRY WALLS MADE OUT OF LOW STRENGTH BRICKS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Structural Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, EL-Mansoura University, Egypt

Abstract

The present paper investigates the effect of fiber reinforced mortar on the behaviour
of brick masonry walls made out of low strength bricks. Both experimental and
analytical investigations have been carried out. The experimental study has been
carried out on five groups of walls. In four groups, all mortar joints are provided with
four various amounts of fiber. The walls of the fifth group are constructed with plain
mortar joints for the purpose of comparison. Walls have not been provided with any
type of plastering. All walls are subjected to concentrated compressive loading and
the cracking patterns and both cracking and ultimate loads are reported. The vertical
and lateral strains are also measured at the centerlines of walls. Walls are then taken
up for detailed finite element analysis where the various types of stresses in bricks
and mortar joints are obtained. The study shows that the reinforced fiber mortar joints
increase the load carrying capacity of the wall. The values of both lateral and vertical
deformations are slightly increased while; the cracking patterns did not changed.