ABSTRACT
Stone masonry is a composite material which can be described as stones embedded in a matrix. This matrix is either empty in the case of drystone masonry, or constituted of mortar for mortared-stone masonry. Stone masonry structures are frequent in the regions where stones are ubiquitous. In Europe, it was massively used until the XIXth century to build earth retaining walls. The yield design theory requires the knowledge of exactly three pieces of information, being the geometry, the loading mode and the resistance of the material. The kinematic approach of the yield design theory relies on the principle of virtual work. Since it gives an upper bound estimate of the ultimate load, it is also know as upper bound limit analysis. In order to assess the validity of the analytical model developed thanks to the yield design method, an experimental campaign was conducted using a scale-down model.
