Experimental Behavior of Brick Masonry under Uniaxial Compression on Parallel-to-Face Brick. Single-Leaf Case Study

Brick masonry is a very widely used building method. A specific example of use of this masonry is the thin-tile vault. This is characterised by the format of several layers joined together with mortar and in which the position of the bricks means that they bear the load on edges. The main objective of this study is an assessment, based on experimental results, of clay brick masonry behavior when the load is applied parallel to the face of the bricks instead of perpendicular thereto. This study compares the stress-strain behavior, failure modes, compressive strength, and Young’s modulus of this type of masonry with data obtained from scientific literature.