Studies on the strength variation of brick masonry using novel blended masonry mortar mixes and mortar thickness

Building construction using brick masonry is the oldest method of execution and it is widely used globally even though the technology being improved. Latest research works are still going on to upgrade the performance of masonry both technically and economically. Masonry is constructed with two basic materials such as brick unit and mortar. The strength of masonry is governed by the strength of both brick and mortar used for construction. This study was intended to evaluate the strength variation of brick masonry with three different mortar mixes using supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) and two different thickness of mortar. Dolomite powder and silica fume were used for developing ternary blended masonry mortar and 12 mm and 18 mm mortar thickness were considered in this study. Compressive strength of masonry was determined by masonry prism specimen with three layers of bricks and shear bond strength was determined by testing brick triplets. The strength of masonry constructed with blended cement mortar is comparable with cement mortar based masonry. The failure of masonry with 12 mm mortar thickness was observed by crushing of brick units and the shear failure in the bond between brick and mortar was observed in 18 mm thick mortar masonry units.