Experimental Assessment of Compressive and Shear Behavior of Adobe Masonry

This paper presents the results of experimental testing of adobe masonry assemblages to study their compressive and shear behaviors. These behaviors were studied using masonry prisms and triplets, respectively. Adobe mortar specimens were also tested in compression and tension. Mortar cylinders provided higher compressive strength as compared to cubes. The cube compressive strength was, however, higher than that reported in the literature. Similarly, the elastic modulus of mortar was also higher as compared to that reported by other researchers in different parts of the world. No effects of the height/thickness ratio of the compression prisms were found on the adobe masonry compressive strength. The initial shear strength of the adobe masonry was smaller as compared to that reported in the existing literature. Analytical models for predicting compressive and shear strengths of the adobe masonry have been suggested which may be employed for the structural design of adobe masonry structures.