• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.475-485
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• 2022

This paper presents a comparative experimental study on structural behavior of the interlocking masonry walls under in-plane cyclic loading. The main purpose of this study is to increase lateral load-bearing capacities of masonry walls by using interlocking units. The interlocking units were designed by considering failure modes of masonry walls and produced using lightweight foamed concrete. To this end, three masonry walls which are hollow, fully grouted, and reinforced were constructed with interlocking units. Also, a traditional masonry brick wall was built for comparison reasons. The walls were tested under in-plane cyclic loading. Then, structural parameters of the walls such as lateral load bearing and total energy dissipation capacities, ductility, stiffness degradation as well as failure modes obtained from the tests were compared with each other. The results have shown that the walls with the interlocking units have better structural performance than traditional masonry brick walls and they may be used in the construction of low-rise masonry structures in rural areas to improve in-plane structural performance.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 2019

This paper describes the design of a new interlocking masonry system, the production of designed interlocking units and mechanical properties of interlocked masonry assemblages with mortar. In this proposed system, units have horizontal and vertical locks to integrate the units to the wall and have a channel to enable the use of horizontal reinforcements in the wall. Using these units, unfilled, filled or reinforced walls can be constructed with or without mortar. In the production of the interlocking units, it was decided to use foamed concrete. 12 trial productions have been carried out at different mix proportions to obtain the optimum concrete mix. At the end of the mentioned productions, the units were produced with foam concrete which is selected as the most suitable in terms of compressive strength and specific gravity. Then, axial compression, diagonal tension and bed joint shear tests were carried out to determine the mechanical properties of the interlocked masonry assemblages with mortar. Results from the tests showed that interlocks designed to strengthen the system against shear stresses by creating discontinuity throughout the joints have been successful to achieve their aim. Obtained data will enable structural analysis of walls to be constructed with these new units.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.585-599
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• 2006

This paper describes a series of laboratory tests carried out to evaluate the influence of bed joint orientation on interlocking grouted stabilised mud-flyash brick masonry under uniaxial cyclic compressive loading. Five cases of loading at $0^{\circ}$, $22.5^{\circ}$, $45^{\circ}$, $67.5^{\circ}$ and $90^{\circ}$ with the bed joints were considered. The brick units and masonry system developed by Prof. S.N. Sinha were used in present investigation. Eighteen specimens of size $500mm{\times}100mm{\times}700mm$ and twenty seven specimens of size $500mm{\times}100mm{\times}500mm$ were tested. The envelope stress-strain curve, common point curve and stability point curve were established for all five cases of loading with respect to bed joints. A general analytical expression is proposed for these curves which fit reasonably well with the experimental data. Also, the stability point curve has been used to define the permissible stress level in the brick masonry.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.1024-1031
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• 2022

In addressing the goal for sustainability in the construction industry, the very materials used for construction and the methods utilized to implement said materials must be analyzed. Specifically, some traditional residential construction materials consist of wood, steel, and concrete. Because these materials vary in their levels of sustainability, there is a need to develop and explore new or other materials that can be used for residential construction. The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a review of interlocking earthen masonry units (IEMU) as an alternative option for residential building construction. This is in an effort to explore the variables impacting their existing and potential applications as sustainable materials and a method for residential building construction. IEMU's are then examined under the triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability framework which includes analyzing the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of IEMU's. The findings of this review may lead to further progression in the development of a framework for evaluating U.S. stakeholder adoption of IEMU's and potential implementation in U.S. residential construction.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.209-221
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• 2023

The Mw=7.7 (Pazarcık-Kahramanmaraş) and Mw=7.6 (Elbistan-Kahramanmaraş) earthquakes that occurred in Türkiye on 06.02.2023 with 9 hours' intervals, caused great losses of life and property as the biggest catastrophe in the instrumental period. The earthquakes affecting an area of 14% of the country were enormous and caused a great deal of loss of life and damage. Numerous buildings have collapsed or damaged at different levels, both in the city centers and in rural areas. Within the scope of this study, masonry structure damage built from different types of materials in the earthquake region was taken into consideration. In this study, the damage and causes of such masonry structures that do not generally receive engineering services were examined and explained in detail. Insufficient interlocking between wall-wall and wall-roof, inadequate masonry, lack of horizontal and vertical bond beams, usage of low-strength materials, poor workmanship, and heavy earthen roof are commonly caused to structural damages. Separation at the corner point and out-of-plane mechanism in structural walls, and heavy earthen roof damages are common types of damage in masonry structures.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.71-77
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• 2003

Generally the dynamic characteristics of stone wall structures depend on several factors such as contact, the type of interlocking bonding stones, and the filling materials. This paper describes a non-destructive technique for diagnosis of historic masonry stone structures using the measurement of natural frequency technique. For this purpose, the castle wall of Nag-An Folk Town located in Sunchon, Korea was selected as a model. The Nag-An Town Castle is one of the well maintained historical remains constructed in the Chosun Kingdom of Korea. The construction started in 1397 A.D and was finished in 1626 A.D. The non-mortar castle wall is 1470m long and the average height is 4m with a width of 3 4m. The exterior of the wall is bonded with 1 2 m rectangular rough-faced stone and the inside of the wall is filled with gravel. The traditional village still remains inside the Nag-An Town Castle, and they have a regional food festival every October. Transverse vibrations were measured at 8 points around the castle. The measured natural frequency of the first mode was 26Hz 41Hz, and the shear modulus of filling material was 2.142 x $10^3$ ~ 8.915 x $10^3$kgf/$cm^2$ . With these results, it may be assumed that the filling material is gravel or a sand-gravel mixture. It is expected that the information provided by this paper will be useful for addressing the maintenance problems of the old castle walls.