Evaluation of Compressive Strength and Basic Compressive Stress of Clay Brick Unreinforced Masonry by Prism Test

Deepa A. Joshi, R. K. Jain

Abstract: The compressive behavior of clay brick unreinforced masonry has been studied. As Masonry is normally provided for resisting compressive forces, compressive strength is the basic and important property of masonry and it is always required for design, repair or retrofitting of Masonry structures. Masonry constitutes of two different materials, bricks and mortar. The experimental results of bricks, mortar and brick masonry prisms are presented here with brief description of testing procedure. The basic compressive stress of unreinforced masonry prisms determined experimentally have been compared with the basic compressive stress of the same obtained by using IS 1905-1987. The failure mechanism of prisms under uniaxial compressive load has been discussed.

Keywords: Bricks, Mortar, Masonry, Compressive Strength