Experimental assessment of shear strength parameters on rubble stone masonry specimens

Rubble stone masonry walls were widely used in traditional buildings in Mediterranean countries. However, the mechanical behaviour of those walls is not completely characterized due to a lack of experimental data. This paper presents an experimental campaign carried out to characterize the shear strength parameters of traditional Mediterranean rubble stone masonry walls. Fifteen masonry specimens were built using old techniques and traditional materials. Two types of mortar were used in the specimens’ execution, air and hydraulic lime mortars, with intend to simulate different masonry construction periods. The goal of the experimental campaign was to evaluate the most important mechanical parameters needed for numerical modelling of traditional rubble stone masonry walls, namely, the compressive strength and Young’s modulus through compression tests; the cohesion and friction coefficient by triplet tests; and the diagonal tensile strength via diagonal compression tests. The tests’ setup and load–displacement diagrams are presented for all tests and the obtained shear strength parameters are compared with values from the literature.