Micromechanics-based critical surfaces for adobe masonry

Micromechanical approaches have been used in many research studies on masonry structures. Nevertheless, applications are still lacking in the case of adobe masonry (AM), which is widely spread around the world and is investigated not only to assess existing constructions, but also to design eco-friendly and comfortable buildings. In this paper the authors aim at giving a first look to the micromechanical behaviour of AM with straw fibre reinforced bricks. To this end, a finite element model was developed on the basis of both classical elasticity and bi-modular theory, which were applied to bricks and mortar. Critical curves for AM were then derived by means of an homogenised approach, under the assumptions of periodic masonry and plane stress conditions. The material properties adopted in the numerical analyses were defined on the basis of experimental tests performed by the authors and other data available in literature.