A Review on Behaviour of Masonry System Using Different Types of Geometric Interlocking Mechanisms

Masonry construction is the most common form of construction in rural as well as urban areas of developing countries besides having their limitations. In masonry, the joints between masonry units are always an easy path for failure/cracks to propagate. To eliminate this limitation of conventional masonry systems, various forms of interlocking masonry systems (IMS) have been developed and proposed across the world, ranging from dry stacked to mortar jointed, reinforced and post-tensioned masonry systems. However limited literature is available to classify interlocking masonry systems on the basis of the geometry of interlocking mechanisms. A parameter “k” was defined to classify interlocking mechanisms on the basis of geometry of adjacent interlocking elements (keys or projections) in each respective direction. All possible failure modes for masonry units were identified and categorised into four groups namely bearing, shearing, tearing and shape failures. The focus of the study was to relate the failure modes of masonry systems to their respective defined categories based on the geometry of interlocking mechanisms. It was identified that the effectiveness of an interlocking mechanism to ensure uniformity in strength of the system across the joint depends on its geometry, category and confinement and thus directly affects the failure mode of masonry element as a whole.