In-Place Evaluation of Masonry Shear Behavior Using Digital Image Analysis

One of the critical aspects of masonry failure is the shear capacity of the composite brick-mortar assemblage. In the last four decades, an increasing effort has been devoted to study the shear behavior of masonry structures. Different test approaches have been used to determine the shear strength of masonry, including laboratory tests and in-place measurements. In this paper, a close view of the test method used for the in-place measurement of masonry shear strength is taken, using an innovative approach based on image correlation techniques. A series of in-place shear tests were conducted at one of the masonry infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frames tested at the University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, within the framework of a comprehensive NSF-NEESR-SG project at the University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA. Initial cohesion and friction angles were determined for the infill wall, and the lack of uniformity along the shear failure planes was investigated with the aid of finite elements and digital image correlations.