Effect of Uncertainty of Tensile Strength of Mortar Joints on the Behavior of Masonry Walls under Lateral Loads

Abstract

Analyzing the behavior of a masonry structure is a complex issue due to the complicated nature of masonry. Moreover, random spatial variation of masonry properties due to workmanship quality makes the prediction of its behavior even harder. This paper studies the effect of random spatial variability of mortar joint properties on the lateral strength of masonry walls under in-plane loads. Tensile strength of mortar joints is considered a random variable whose variation represents different quality of workmanship. Using a 3D nonlinear FE model, the influence of the random spatial variability of bed joint and head joint properties on the performance of unreinforced masonry walls is investigated. Results show the considerable effect of random spatial variability of bed joint properties on the performance of masonry walls under in-plane loads, while similar variation in head joint properties has a negligible effect on the wall response. The influence of correlation in bed joint properties on the wall strength is evaluated through a parametric analysis. Findings reveal that increasing the correlation of bed joint properties has a harmful effect on the lateral strength of unreinforced masonry walls with fair and poor workmanship quality.