Experimental study on compressive behavior of masonry walls strengthened with pointing mortar

Abstract:

To study the effect of pointing mortar on the compressive behavior of masonry walls, according to different depth and strength of the pointing mortar, twelve wall specimens reinforced with pointing mortar and three unreinforced specimens were tested under uniaxial compression. Two test parameters, depth and strength of the pointing mortar, were investigated in terms of their effects on the cracking load, failure load, stress-strain relationship and elastic modulus of the reinforced specimens. Test results show that, compared to the unreinforced specimens, the specimens reinforced with pointing mortar exhibit a decrease in cracking load and an increase in both failure load and elastic modulus. And the increase range depends on the depth and strength of the pointing mortar, in which the largest reaches 30%. The cracking patterns and failure modes are similar for both reinforced and unreinforced specimens tested. Based on the test data and theoretical analysis, according to the formula from the code for design for masonry structures, equations that account for the depth and strength of the pointing mortar are proposed for predicting the compressive strength, stress-strain curve and elastic modulus of the pointed masonry walls. The test results also indicate that pointing can be used as a means of reinforcing masonry walls, especially for the historical buildings.