ABSTRACT
Increased computational capacities and augmented awareness about the uncertain nature of parameters and models involved in structural design are orienting current verifications in an explicit probabilistic direction. Mortar compressive strength distributions are investigated herein with reference to previously published experimental results, related to three mixes, for which a reasonably large number of specimens were tested. Comparison of empirical and analytical distribution functions are not frequent in the literature for masonry components. The Weibull distribution is often used in reliability engineering and failure analysis. In order to establish which distribution is the most appropriate, or is appropriate at all, several quantitative goodness of fit tests have been performed. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test can be used, as in the case at hand, to compare a sample with a reference probability distribution. The deviation between empirical and function distributions is evident, as well as the graphical meaning of the critical value.
