Compressive, flexural and bond strength of brick/lime mortar masonry

Due to their physical and chemical properties, mortars made with lime are considered to be more compatible with historic fabrics than those made with artificial cements. This paper intends to contribute to the knowledge of the behavior of lime mortar masonry, by exploring the mechanical properties of clay brick masonry bound with both hydraulic and non-hydraulic lime mortars. Masonry wallettes built with a (non-hydraulic) low-strength, calcium lime binder (CL90-s) and a natural-hydraulic-lime of hydraulic strength 5 MPa. (NHL 5) were tested for compressive and flexural strength. The strength of the bond between the mortar and the brick was also measured. The results examine the relationships between the mortar properties and the ultimate strength results of the two types of masonry tested. The paper also compares the mechanical behaviour of the two masonry types under lateral and vertical loads and studies the modes of failure and their relationship with the mortar properties measured. The results were also compared with strength predictions of building standards.