Finite element stress analysis of brick-mortar masonry under compression

Abstract

Stress analysis of a brick-mortar couplet as a substitute for brick wall structure has been performed by finite element method, and algorithm for determining the element stiffness matrix for a plane stress problem using the displacement approach was developed. The nodal displacements were derived for the stress in each element, fr-om which the general stress configuration for the structural model was evaluated. The process involved numeri-cal computation and the results showed that the stresses were directly affected by the modulus of elasticity of the mortar, assuming that the modulus of elasticity for the brick region remained constant. The limitation of fai-lure theory based on homogeneity was not ignored, as variation of modulus of elasticity for the mortar region was a significant factor.