ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the results of an experimental program on lime mortar masonry. It investigates the mechanical behaviour of lime mortar and clay brick masonry by presenting the results of a comprehensive experimental program carried out in the laboratory. Different kinds of masonry samples were built using either aerial or moderately hydraulic lime mortar. The experimental characterization of masonry is a demanding task due to the complex mechanical behaviour of the material and the lack of sufficient standardization. Any kind of masonry is a different material itself due to the infinite possible combinations of material components. Handmade fired-clay solid bricks were used for the construction of the specimens. In the case of shear, the different failure mechanisms produced by the tests that is sliding along the brick-mortar interface or failure in the mortar joint, have a remarkable influence on the differences observed in the interpretations of prismatic and cylindrical specimens.
