Suitability of micromechanical model for the elastic analysis of masonry

A micromechanical model is proposed for determining the overall linear elastic mechanical properties of simple-texture brick masonry. The model, originally developed for long-fiber composites, relies on the exact solution due to Eshelby and describes brickwork as a mortar matrix with insertions of elliptical cylindershaped bricks. Macroscopic elastic constants are derived from the mechanical properties of the constituent materials and phase volume ratios. Conformity of the suggested model to real brickwork behavior has been verified by performing uniaxial compression tests on masonry panels composed of fired bricks and mud mortar. Composite masonry panels of varying phase percentages were then constructed and tested by replacing several of the fired bricks with mud bricks. Comparison of experimental results with theoretical predictions demonstrates that the model is suitable even in the presence of strongly differentiated phases, and is moreover able to predict different behavior as a function of phase concentration. The model fits experimental results more closely than the micromechanical models previously reported in the literature.