Author
J.R. RIDDINGTON and P. JUKES University of Sussex

Abstract
For a finite element analysis to model masonry accurately, material property information is required that is truly representative of the materials that are being modelled. In this paper the advantages and disadvantages of some of the methods that can be used to obtain bond tensile strength and mortar stiffness and strength properties are considered and results from a limited test programme are reported. It is concluded that a direct tensile test is more likely to produce a representative value for tensile bond strength than a bending or wrench test providing a stress multiplication factor is applied to the average failure stress value obtained. It is shown that water absorption by bricks can very significantly affect the tensile strength and compressive stress-strain characteristics of mortar. It is recommended that the tensile strength of mortar should be obtained from indirect tensile tests on cylinders formed from mortar extracted from joints and that its stress-strain relationship should be obtained from stack tests.