ABSTRACT
The behaviour of masonry under axial compression is influenced by the relative stiffness of masonry units and mortar, the thickness of mortar joints and the shape of the units. Masonry prisms and wallettes with different concrete blocks and thin layer mortar were constructed and tested under uniaxial compression. Characteristically thin layered mortared masonry contains higher unit to mortar thickness ratio and mortar strength to unit strength ratio than the conventional masonry. The regression analysis was used to compare the relationship between masonry and unit strength for conventional and thin layer mortared masonry. Deformation of the specimens was measured using digital image correlation and conventional linear variable differential transducers. The compressive strengths of thin layer mortared masonry are found be higher than conventional masonry in the limited literature. In order to compare the compressive strength characteristics of thin layer mortared masonry with conventional masonry, a database of compressive was developed through literature survey.
