M.S. Jaafar

Structural Behaviour of Mortar-Less Interlocking Masonry System Under Eccentric Compressive Loads

Interlocking masonry wall as a structural load-bearing element is still unexplored simply because its basic behaviour and complete response to failure is not known. In addition, there is no design code available to provide necessary guidance for a safe design of interlocking walls. This paper provides an attempt to ascertain the structural response of interlocking masonry walls compared to conventional bonded walls. Individual block units, prisms and full-scale wall specimens were tested under the action of concentric and eccentric compressive loads. The effect of different patterns of reinforced concrete stiffeners has also been investigated. The test results were discussed in terms of wall efficiency, strength capacity, deflection, strain distribution, cracking patterns and failure modes. The results indicate a promising future use of the interlocking masonry system in construction.

Soil Structure Interaction for Integral Abutment Bridge Using Spring Analogy Approach

The reaction of the backfill behind the abutments and adjacent to the piles plays a significant role in the behavior of the Integral bridge. The handling of soil-structure interaction in the analysis and design of integral abutment bridges has always been problematic due to its complexity. This study describes the implementation of a 2-D finite element model of IAB system which explicitly incorporates the soil response. The superstructure members and the pile have been represented by means of three-node isoperimetric beam elements with three degree of freedom per node. The Eight node isoperimetric quadrilateral element has been used to model the abutment. The backfill was idealized by uncoupled Winkler spring. The applic1ability of this model is demonstrated by analyzing a single span IA bridge. The results have shown that the shear forces at the tops of the supported piles were only 12% to 16% of the load which at the top of abutment.