Experimental Evaluation of Properties of Early-Age Masonry Walls
摘要
Numerous international standards such as ACI-530 and CSA-S304 have been established and well documented to ensure the safe design of fully-cured masonry structures against lateral loacsceds. However, early-age masonry, constructed within hours of placement, presents vulnerabilities to wind-induced lateral forces and lacks the strength and properties of fully-cured masonry. Design codes suggest the temporary bracing of early-age masonry walls until they either integrate with other structural elements or reach full strength. On the other hand, since quality assurance testing does not begin until 7 days after construction, there is no data providing information about the properties of early-age masonry. This limitation in quality assurance testing leaves designers with the challenge of extrapolating early-age masonry properties based on engineering judgment, often resulting in either overly conservative or under-designed temporary bracing systems. Such discrepancies have led to masonry failures and worker injuries within the construction industry. To address this gap, this paper introduces a novel test setup designed to monitor full-scale early-age masonry walls under uniformly distributed lateral loads, simulating wind loads. Both cantilever and simply supported full-scale walls are investigated, covering various curing periods. The study explores how curing time affects lateral resistance and early-age masonry properties, addressing the shortcomings in current masonry design codes. Based on 60 full-scale early-age masonry wall experiment, numerical models are developed using regression analysis to predict the lateral strength of masonry walls against curing time.