Masonry wallettes with damp-proof course membrane subjected to cyclic shear: An experimental study

Cyclic load tests were performed on two series of unreinforced masonry wallettes with a damp-proof course placed either between the first two masonry courses or between the concrete base and the wallette. Two types of failure were observed, namely sliding and compression (toe crushing) failure. Wallettes that failed in compression exhibited limited energy dissipation. Wallettes which failed through sliding displayed considerable energy dissipation and behaved in a quasi ductile manner. Greater ductility was observed in the wallettes with the DPC in the bed joint rather than at the wallette–slab interface, indicating that the former detail would be more desirable for enhanced seismic performance. Simple analytical models for predictions of failure shear load are proposed and discussed.