Determination of Fundamental Properties of Masonry for different cities of Albania

Abstract

This study deals with the properties of unreinforced masonry. Masonry is a two phase material, and the properties of the assemblage depend on that of bricks and mortars. On the other hand, the quality of bricks mostly depends on the type of raw material and the production process. The quality of mortars is more complicated to assess since it depends on its mix design, which is highly variable from batch to batch. The procedure of assessment of properties for bricks and prisms is well established in various standards while the compressive strength of existing mortars has always been a challenge. In Albania there are a considerable number of URM structures and therefore assessing the properties of masonry is an important task. Therefore, samples from Tirana, Vlora, Elbasan, Rreshen and Bulqiza are obtained and tested, mainly in compression to assess the compressive strength of bricks and mortars. Large and highly populated cities are targeted. The expected outcome of this experimental program is the set of mechanical properties of unreinforced masonry for the selected cities, confronted with the design values provided by production factories and theoretical values.