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Determination of Effective Stiffness Characteristics of Unreinforced Masonry Using Numerical Homogenization

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The article presents a homogenization method for determining the effective properties of brickwork through numerical modeling. The selection of representative volume elements (RVEs) for characterizing masonry is justified. Numerical experiments demonstrate that reliable stress-strain data require testing a fragment of nine brick rows (four bricks wide). A nine-row stretcher-bond fragment serves as a representative component for multi-row brickwork of any configuration, enabling deformation analysis without large-scale experiments. A method is proposed to determine the stiff characteristics of unreinforced masonry as an anisotropic homogeneous body using numerical loading simulations. The stiffness coefficient matrix is derived from finite element analysis (FEA) under compressive and shear loads. Comparisons between heterogeneous and homogenized models confirm the method’s accuracy (<5% error), bridging micromechanics and structural analysis.

Source: Electronic Journal of Structural Engineering

DOI: 10.56748/ejse.24757

Author: Omar Shakarneh

Institution: Novosibirsk State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering

Language: English

Topic: Masonry and Concrete Structural Analysis

Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W4414025787

FWCI:

Cites: 19

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Related to: 10