ABSTRACT
In various regions of Australia mines and quarries that employ blasting are in close proximity to residential areas. Although strict environmental limits are followed, some home owners attribute cracking in their house to the blasting activity. A major investigation into the response of houses to blast vibrations is currently in progress. This paper reports on the performance of brick veneer construction which is the most common form of residential structure in Australia. When a house experiences vibrations from mine blasting, walls responding in-plane are more susceptible to damage than those experiencing flexure. This paper presents outcomes of an investigation into the level of drift associated with serviceability and damage limit states of walls experiencing racking. Results from an experimental program are presented including the performance of full-scale walls with penetrations subjected to racking, triplet specimens tested in shear and mortar compression tests. Outcomes from this work quantify drifts and associated strains required to initiate cracking of brick veneer walls. A correlation between drift and rate of crack propagation is proposed.
