ABSTRACT
A mortarless wall system was tested to determine the influence of a thin mortar layer, along the horizontal joints of the wall, on the axial, in-plane shear, and out-of-plane flexural capacities of the wall. A thin neoprene pad was placed between the steel beam and the top surface of the wall to compensate for any small irregularities on top surface of the wall. Load cells were mounted between the hydraulic jacks and spreader beam to monitor the applied load on the wall. The average capacity of the walls with the thin mortar layer was approximately 1.5% higher than that of the walls without the thin mortar layer. The walls with the thin mortar layer had a slight higher average in-plane shear capacity and out-of-plane flexural capacity than that of the walls without the thin mortar layer. The wall system consists of dry-stacked concrete masonry units with cementitious surface coat applied to both faces of the wall and eccentrically placed reinforcement.
