Shear Tests and Calculation of Shear Resistance with the PC Program RFEM from Thin Partition Walls of Brick in Old Buildings

Abstract

This paper is about the shear capacity of partition walls in old buildings based on shear tests which were carried out under real conditions in an existing building. There were experiments conducted on different floors and in each case, the maximum recordable horizontal force and the horizontal displacement of the respective mortar were measured. At the same time material studies and material investigations were carried out in the laboratory. The material parameters were used for the calculation of the precise shear capacity of each joint. In the shear tests, the maximum displacement of a mortar joint was determined at a maximum of two to four millimeters. Furthermore, no direct linear relationship between the theoretical load (wall above it) and the shear stress occurred could be detected in the analysis of the experiment, as it was previously assumed.

Key words: shear capacity, shear stress, shear test, horizontal force, lime mortar