Fracture-Mechanical Properties of Mortar-to-Brick Interfaces

Abstract

Buildings made of brick count for a large portion of Austrian buildings. For these masonry buildings, the compound between mortar and brick is essential. This study analyzes the fracture mechanical properties of mortar-brick compounds. A wedge splitting method is used to evaluate the notch tensile strength as well as the specific fracture energy. On the one hand, mortars with different compressive strengths are used. On the other hand, the surface of the bricks is modified during the study. It can be shown that bricks with grooves have a better compound and that the quality of the compound depends on the relation of groove depth to maximum grain size of the mortar.