Static Tests on Dry Stone Masonry and Evaluation of Static Collapse Multipliers

FUORI CATALOGO

The response of masonry walls subjected to out-of-plane seismic actions is one of the most challenging topics in masonry mechanics. Experimental testing in support of theoretical models is quite limited, and even when approaching the problem from a simpler static point of view (lateral resistance of walls subjected to mass-proportional out-of-plane static forces) the need for clear experimental references is strongly felt. In the case of dry stone masonry, reduced scale static testing can be carried out with quite simple and economical methods.
This research report presents the design, the execution, the results and the analyses of a series of static tests performed on several configurations of 1:5 scaled wall specimens made of regular dry stone masonry, focusing on their lateral strength capacity.
The tests have been performed at the University of Pavia, with the main objective of verifying existing analytical expression for the computation of the static collapse multiplier of the out-of-plane failure mechanisms.
A testing method already applied by other researchers has been followed. The testing device for the static tests was a tilting platform. No mortar was used in the models, which means that the shear strength along the joints was given purely by friction. The collapse multiplier was calculated from the inclination angle of the platform.
In total, 42 configurations have been tested, varying the length of the walls, the presence and position of openings, the staggering ratio, the quality of the connection between walls, the existence of vertical overburden loads in the out-of-plane and in the in-plane walls, and the number of stories.
The results are presented in terms of measured collapse multiplier and with a detailed description of the associated collapse mechanism.