Research and TLS (LiDAR) Construction Diagnostics of Clay Brick Masonry Arched Stairs

The study presents the terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) diagnostic of the clay brick masonry arched staircase in a historic building. Based on the measurements of the existing arched stair flights, 1:1 scale experimental models with and without stair treads were made. Strength tests of the models were carried out for different concentrated force locations in relation to the supporting structure. Force, deflections and reaction in the upper support of the run were measured during the tests. The influence of the masonry steps on the curved vault on the load capacity and stiffness of the run structure was analyzed. The conducted experimental investigations showed that the key element responsible for the actual load-bearing capacity and stiffness of this type of stair flights were the treads above the masonry arch.

Effect of Waste Clay Brick Powder on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Cement Paste

Background: Investigations on the use of waste clay brick powder in concrete have been extensively conducted, but the analysis of waste clay brick powder effects on cement paste is limited. Materials and Methods: This paper discusses the effects of waste clay brick powder on cement paste. Fragmented clay bricks were grounded in the laboratory using a ball mill and incorporated into cementitious mixes as partial replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement. Workability, consistency, setting time, density and compressive strength properties of paste mixes were investigated to better understand the impact of waste clay brick powder on the cementitious paste. Four cement replacement levels of 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10% were evaluated in comparison with the control paste. The chemical and mineral compositions were evaluated using X-Ray Fluorescence and X-Ray Diffractometer, respectively. The morphology of cement and waste clay brick powder was examined using a scanning electron microscope. Results: The investigation of workability exhibited a reduction of slump attributed to the significant addition of waste clay brick powder into the cementitious mixes, and it was concluded that waste clay brick powder did not significantly influence the density of the mixes. In comparison with the control paste, increased values of consistency and setting time of cement paste containing waste clay brick powder confirmed the information available in the literature. Conclusion: Although waste clay brick powder decreased the compressive strength of cement paste, 5% partial cement replacement with waste clay brick powder was established as an optimum percentage for specimens containing waste clay brick powder following curing periods of 7 and 28 days. Findings of chemical composition, mineral composition and scanning electron microscopy of waste clay brick powder demonstrated that when finely ground, fragmented clay bricks can be used in concrete as a pozzolanic material.

Study on overstrength and ductility of reinforced concrete building with different infill through nonlinear analysis

The building structure with infill wall shows higher global stiffness along with the uncertain behaviour during 2015 Gorkha earthquake. It significantly increased the collapse rate of structures during earthquakes. The response of buildings with different infills during seismic excitations is not completely accounted by current seismic codes in the region. On the other hand, due to the different geological region, availability of infill materials for reinforced concrete building also differs on region to region. In most of the situations the burnt clay brick, concrete blocks and stone block are used as infill materials during building construction. In this scenario, this study explores the importance of selection of right infill material for better seismic performance during earthquakes. For this, building constructed at Pokhara Metropolitan City is considered for case study. The structural model is prepared with and without considering infills. The solid, hollow concrete block and clay brick masonry are taken as infill material during analysis. The structural behaviour during earthquakes is studied with non-linear static pushover. The result shows that the hollow concrete block masonry infill (INHB) shows better structural performance compared to other infill types.

Strength of the flexural joint of mortar joints and solid fired clay brick prisms

Masonry constructions built with mortar and solid fired clay bricks are subject to: high cement content, excessive water-cement ratio causing problems of mortar shrinkage during curing and differential movements between the brick and mortar caused by movements due to wind or seismic events. Earth movements generate some failures in simple masonry walls and confined masonry in solid brick joints, mainly with failure inclination angles varying from 45 degrees to 50 degrees. The objective of this research work was to estimate the flexural bond strength of the mortar joint and the solid fired clay brick and thus establish design parameters for non-structural masonry in the municipality of Ocanña, Colombia. From the fired clay brick manufacturers, 18 in total, simple random sampling was used to determine the sample size, 4 manufacturers were randomly selected. In addition, the characterization of the solid fired clay brick units was carried out with respect to their compressive strength, initial absorption rate and final absorption, as well as the mortar with respect to its compressive strength at 28 days, according to the Colombian standard for earthquake resistant constructions; for the determination of the flexural strength of the bonding mortar and solid brick units, a semiautomatic machine for flexural strength testing of masonry units, Pinzuar model PC-13, with a force measurement of 1000 N and an accuracy of 0.1 N, was designed. The flexural strength at the masonry joint was obtained for mortar type M with a value of 0.26 MPa, with a standard deviation of 0.01 MPa and a coefficient of variation of 4.72%. As for mortars type N and S, the average strength value was equal to 0.24 MPa for the two types of mortar, with standard deviation of 0.03 MPa and 0.01 MPa respectively, and coefficient of variation of 11.4% and 3.18% respectively. Given the importance of the variables, an interpretation of physical of the relationship between the properties was made: compressive strength of the solid fired clay brick and flexural strength at the masonry joint, since their average values were similar.