Impact behaviour of plate-like assemblies made of new and existing interlocking bricks: A comparative study

This paper presents an extensive numerical study on the impact behaviour of plate-like assemblies made of interlocking concrete bricks. In the proposed 3D finite element model, a damage based concrete model is employed with considerations of strain rate effect and concrete failure criteria. Boundary conditions are appropriately defined to simulate various initial loading scenarios. The impact responses of both monolithic and assembly plates are investigated, and the numerical model is validated by comparing the predicted results with experimental data. Compared to the monolithic plate, the structural flexibility, energy absorption capacity and the tolerance to local failure are improved in the assembly plates made of interlocking bricks. A comparative study is also carried out on the assembly plates made of two types of interlocking bricks including osteomorphic brick with two curved side surfaces and newly designed interlocking brick with four curved surfaces. It is found that the plate made by the newly developed interlocking brick exhibits less deflection and absorbs more energy than the existing osteomorphic brick.