The masonry construction system is widely used in Brazil and one of the existing challenges is how to improve the performance of structural walls. Therefore, it is necessary understand the mechanical properties of the set (block/mortar) responsible for the failure. The main goal of this study is to assess the tensile strength of concrete blocks and verify the failure mode and deformability of small structural walls in order to understand the phenomena involved in the rupture of the set and, consequently, improve performance under compression. The experimental results indicated that the appearance of nonlinearity in the masonry corresponded to an increase in lateral deformation due to extensive cracking of the material and a progressive increase in the wall Poisson's ratio. The beginning of vertical cracks occurred in the block-vertical interface of the mortar joint. This happened when the stress reached approximately 60% of ultimate stress.
Structural masonry; Deformability; Structural masonry wall; Failure mode
