Determination of Failure Modes in Brick Walls Using Cohesive Elements Approach

The heterogeneous FEM models of brick walls are analyzed in order to estimate possibility to predict proper failure mechanisms for different biaxial stress modes. The micro-modeling of masonry structures with the application of cohesive elements to describe the mortar joint zone is applied. For the boundary value problems modeling different brick patterns the typical biaxial tests are simulated. In one case (the most typical pattern) the comparison of numerical test solutions with laboratory experiment results on masonry panels in biaxial stress states made by Page is done. The qualitative comparison between numerical and real-life experiments shows the possibilities of application of Abaqus FEA build-in constitutive material models in evaluating the behavior of masonry under biaxial stresses. Such models properly verified can be treated as virtual experimental tests for determination of parameters for macroscopic continuum elasto-plastic models.