In-plane and out-of-plane homogenisation of masonry

This paper explains how to derive numerically the mechanical characteristics of masonry from the mechanical properties of the constituents using the homogenisation technique. So far, this technique has been applied principally to the in-plane behaviour of masonry. This paper focuses on the generalization of the homogenisation procedure to the out-of-plane behaviour of masonry, in such a way that the in-plane (membrane) and out-of-plane (bending) characteristics of the homogeneous equivalent plate can be derived in one step. In particular, the presented procedure makes it possible to investigate the behaviour of a portion of a masonry wall under any load path combining in-plane and out-of-plane actions.