ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Historical masonry, which is often composed of different types of lime mortar and solid clay bricks presents various mechanical performance and a complex combination of fracture modes under compression. The aim of the paper is to assess the stress-induced progressive damage in masonry under cyclic compressive loads using acoustic emission (AE) analysis. In this study, masonry walls were built with clay bricks in combination with four different mortar types: cement, hybrid lime-cement, hydraulic lime and lime hydrate mortar. Under cyclic compressive loads, the mechanical behavior at the loading and unloading branch of a loading cycle is analysed. Damage progress is assessed by means of various AE parameters. As the stress increases from cycle to cycle, the Felicity effect was witnessed as an indication of micro-fracture initiation and growth. The different mechanical behavior of the various masonry compositions was related to different trends of AE-based damage quantification. AE parameters used in this investigation proved to be a promising approach to assess the progressive damage in masonry.
