Manufacturing, assembly, and testing of scaled, historic masonry for one-gravity, pseudo-static, soil-structure experiments

In many model-scale experiments, geometric scaling is upheld but kinematic and/or dynamic similitude is not because of the difficulty in manufacturing and assembling small models. This paper describes scaling, manufacturing, assembly, and testing of 1/10th scaled historic masonry materials for one-gravity, pseudo-static, soil-structure testing. Prototype selection, manufacturing limitations, constructability constraints, and testing decisions are presented, alongside details related to model construction. Compressive, tensile, and shear capacities of one-tenth scale prototype values, as well as failure mechanisms, were achieved by adopting traditional brick extrusion and firing methods, in conjunction with modifying mortar products developed for historic restoration. When scaled-masonry structures were subjected to adjacent excavation, resulting displacement and damage patterns were consistent with full-scale, field observations.

► By changing firing schedules, scaled, low-strength and low-stiffness bricks can be produced that interact with mortar in a traditional manner. ► By using a pre-slaked, lime-based putty and further additives, it is possible to create a low-strength and low-stiffness mortar that possesses the workability and constructability characteristics to create scaled models. ► Physical models as small as 1/10th can be produced for 1g masonry testing and generate realistic displacement and damage patterns for soil-structure interaction experiments.