Mesoscale analysis of fracture process in brick masonry structures

Area of Science:

• Civil Engineering
• Structural Analysis
• Computational Mechanics

Background:

• Masonry structures are susceptible to complex fracture patterns involving bricks and mortar joints.
• Accurate mesoscale analysis is crucial for understanding masonry behavior under load.
• Existing methods may require extensive computational resources for detailed joint modeling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a computationally efficient mesoscale analysis for masonry structures.
• To model fracture propagation in both brick units and along masonry joints.
• To avoid explicit discretization of joints for improved efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Incorporation of brick-mortar interfaces using constitutive laws with embedded discontinuity.
• Discrete modeling of macrocracks in bricks without orientation assumptions.
• Validation against detailed mesoscale models and experimental tests on masonry assemblages and walls.

Main Results:

• The proposed method accurately captures fracture propagation in bricks and along joints.
• Computational efficiency is achieved by avoiding explicit joint discretization.
• Simulations of experimental tests show strong agreement with observed behavior.

Conclusions:

• The simplified mesoscale analysis provides a powerful and efficient tool for predicting masonry structure behavior.
• The approach is suitable for analyzing various loading conditions and structural configurations.
• This methodology enhances the understanding of fracture mechanics in masonry.