Experimental investigation on masonry elements subjected to eccentric axial loads

The flexural behaviour of masonry rectangular cross-sections is studied in order to characterize the mechanical behaviour of structuralelements under axial eccentric loads by means of a proper law. First the experimental response of walls under vertical centred loadsis observed and a stress–strain law depending on two parameters is given in order to fit the experimental results. Subsequently thebehaviour of walls nominally equal to the walls mentioned before is investigated under eccentric vertical loads, and the response isobserved in terms of moment–curvature relation. To this point a comparison is made between the moment–curvature response obtainedexperimentally and the moment–curvature response obtained by means of the stress–strain law given, in the hypothesis of a plane strainedsection. Once the accuracy of the model is proved, the limit domain of the cross-section is calculated in order to be used for practicalapplications.