Nonlinear finite element model for traditional adobe masonry

A huge fraction of the worldwide built heritage consists of adobe masonry (AM) structures, including cultural heritage sites protected by UNESCO and single countries. In Portugal, the Aveiro district is a region where approximately 40% of the building stock is composed of AM structures with high cultural, social and architectural value. This paper presents a macro-mechanical finite element (FE) model that was developed for future performance assessments of AM structures. Based on available experimental data on Aveiro’s AM, the FE model was validated in two different boundary and loading conditions associated with normal and diagonal compression tests. A satisfactory numerical-experimental agreement was found in terms of load-displacement curves, crack patterns, local stresses and deformations. A sensitivity analysis evidenced that compressive and tensile strengths mostly influence the peak load capacity and post-peak softening behaviour of wallettes, whereas Young’s modulus affects the pre-peak rising branch of load-displacement curves.