Homogenization methods for interface modeling in damaged masonry

The aim of the present study was to reproduce damage in masonry by combining structural analysis and homogenization methods. In the case of a masonry structure composed of bricks and mortar, a third material is assumed to exist, which is a mixture of the two materials sandwiched between the other two. This new layer has a small thickness, a low stiffness and a given damage ratio. The mechanical problem set by this masonry, which was initially a 3-D problem, is solved numerically in 2-D terms using finite element methods and modeling the three materials: brick, mortar and the interface material defined above. The properties of the third material are obtained by performing the following three steps: (i) Firstly an exact homogenization of a brick/mortar laminate defining a first homogeneous equivalent medium (HEM-1) is performed. (ii) Secondly, we assume the HEM-1 to be damaged and apply the Kachanov model to assess the global behavior of the damaged HEM-1, thus defining a second equivalent homogeneous medium denoted HEM-2. (iii) Thirdly, an asymptotic analysis is performed to model HEM-2 as an interface or a joint. The properties of this joint are deduced from those of the HEM-2 material. This interface is modeled numerically with connector finite elements. This method is applied to two cases: a triplet of full bricks and a triplet of hollow bricks both subjected to shear loading. The numerical results obtained are compared with experimental data available in the literature. (C) 2010 Civil-Comp Ltd and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.