Strength and deformability of concrete hollow blocks and their correlation to mechanical properties of constituent material

Author(s)

Claudius de Sousa Barbosa

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Carlos.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC/SBD)
• Defense date: 2004-04-23

Examining board members

Joao Bento de Hanai; Jefferson Sidney Camacho; Marcio Roberto Silva Correa

• Advisor: Joao Bento de Hanai

Abstract

This research aims to correlate the mechanical properties of hollow blocks to those of the concrete used to build them. Concrete hollow blocks and test samples of different shapes and sizes (cylinder 50 x 100, 100 x 200 and 150 x 300 mm) were molded with plastic consistency concrete in three different levels of strength (nominally 10, 20 and 30 MPa). Their mechanical properties and structural behavior in axial compression and tension tests were determined. Also two and three block prisms were built without mortar joints, pilled up with epoxy glue. It could be observed that the relationship between block strength or prism strength and concrete strength (measured in test samples) decreases with increasing of the element\'s height. Stress and strain analyses were made based on the concrete\'s modulus of elasticity obtained in sample tests and on the measured strain in the blocks\' faces and webs. By linear numerical simulations it was observed that loading plate does not show uniform displacement values, causing significant differences between theoretical and experimental behavior. A peculiar stress-strain analysis permitted to calculate the block load capacity based in its deformations. Also a tentative method to preview the block deformability from the concrete mechanical properties is described and tested. (AU)