IMPROVEMENT OF THE LOAD-BEARING CAPACITY OF DRY-STACKED MASONRY

Mortar bonded masonry is one of the oldest construction technics traditionally used around the world. However, dry-stacked masonry (DSM) is a competitive system that confers significant assets to masonry in the sense that, concisely, it saves construction time, requires less skill labourers and ease the construction as well as the de-construction. Despite all this major benefits, the current use of DSM is hindered by the geometric imperfections of the block units and the lack of adapted design codes. Indeed, the block geometric imperfections, i. e. the bed-joint roughness and the height difference, cause a significant uneven load distribution in DSM, which generally leads to a premature cracking and a drop of the wall compressive strength. On the other hand, the lack of adapted design codes entail significant safety hazards in the construction of such masonry walls. In view of the foregoing, through systematic numerical, experimental and analytical investigations, the present thesis aims to analyse the impacts of the block bed-joint imperfections on the mechanical response of DSM axially loaded. Furthermore, the current thesis aims to develop a strategy to overcome the block geometric imperfections and alleviate its impacts on the load-bearing capacity of DSM. Finally, the present thesis intends to develop a design model for predicting the load-bearing capacity of DSM, while taking into account the effects of the block geometric imperfections for a safe design.