ABSTRACT
P. Jukes Visiting Research Fellow, M.C. Bouzeghoub Visiting Research Fellow and J.R. Riddington Senior Lecturer School of Engineering, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QT, UK
1. ABSTRACT
The method adopted to modify an existing masonry finite element program so that it could be used to investigate the effects of tensile strain softening, should it occur to any significant degree, is described. Results are presented from analyses using the modified program, of test specimens that have been used to measure tensile strain softening data, direct tensile bond strength and flexural tensile bond strength. It is concluded that it is difficult to obtain reliable strain softening data, that the effect of any strain softening on the ultimate strength of direct tensile bond strength samples will not be great, but that any strain softening could significantly increase the strength of flexural bond strength test specimens, which would lead to an overestimation in the value of bond strength calculated.
