Prediction of Brickwork Failure Using Discrete-Element Method
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 30, Issue 9
Abstract
In this study, a discrete element approach is used to simulate brickwork. Bricks are represented by blocks with Mohr-Coulomb plasticity and strain softening. The mortar consists of elastic Voronoi blocks connected by elastoplastic contacts. First, the parameters for brick and mortar are calibrated through a series of bending and compression tests conducted on brick and mortar samples, respectively. Then, shear tests on triplets are performed and Brazilian tests on disc samples are investigated by the numerical approach. Compared with results from other researchers, the numerical model can not only reproduce accurate strength values of the samples but is also able to display the damage development and fracture patterns of the brick as well as mortar.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, Grant Nos. 51608537 and 51538009), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2017M610508), and Postdoctoral Foundation of Central South University. The constructive comments by anonymous reviewers are appreciated.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 30 • Issue 9 • September 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 6, 2017
Accepted: Mar 20, 2018
Published online: Jun 28, 2018
Published in print: Sep 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Nov 28, 2018
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