ABSTRACT

Because the in-plane shear strength of masonry panels depends on a large number of parameters, it is not practical to fully research the influence and interaction of these parameters on shear strength using full scale tests, as these are expensive and time consuming to conduct. Such a parameter study can however be undertaken using finite

Keywords : Shear strength, Walls, Finite elements, Masonry, Brickwork

element analyses, provided a program is available that can be shown to predict the shear strength of panels with a reasonable degree of accuracy. This paper describes a program that was developed for the purpose of undertaking such a parameter study on panels where failure lines develop primarily in the joints. It is therefore best suited for use in studying panels formed from relatively strong bricks. Currently the program is not capable of simulating failures that occur within bricks or blocks.