Mesoscopic study on historic masonry

TL;DR

This paper develops a meso-scale non-linear model for historic masonry, enabling the evaluation of macroscopic material parameters by considering the random arrangement of stones and interface properties.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive meso-scale modeling approach that integrates experimental and numerical methods to assess masonry material parameters.

Findings

Validated the meso-scale model against experimental data

Derived macroscopic properties like tensile and compressive strengths

Provided a methodology for characterizing historic masonry materials

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive approach to the evaluation of macroscopic material parameters for natural stone and quarry masonry. To that end, a reliable non-linear material model on a meso-scale is developed to cover the random arrangement of stone blocks and quasi-brittle behaviour of both basic components, as well as the impaired cohesion and tensile strength on the interface between the blocks and mortar joints. The paper thus interrelates the following three problems: (i) definition of a suitable periodic unit cell (PUC) representing a particular masonry structure; (ii) derivation of material parameters of individual constituents either experimentally or running a mixed numerical-experimental problem; (iii) assessment of the macroscopic material parameters including the tensile and compressive strengths and fracture energy.