The effect of scale on the structural behaviour of masonry under compression

This paper discusses the effect of scale or size effect on the structural behaviour of masonry under compression. Small scale modelling has been employed as a means to understanding masonry structural behaviour over the years, because testing prototype masonry structures is both costly and difficult to control in terms of instrumentation. An experimental programme involving tests at four scales namely prototype, half, fourth and sixth scale were undertaken under compression with a view to understanding how compressive action affects masonry structural behaviour over the range of scales under consideration. The results show that masonry compressive strength is increased as the scale is reduced but the stiffness is not significantly affected.