Date of Award
12-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Civil Engineering (MCE)
Department
Civil Engineering
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Laura Redmond
Committee Member
Dr. M. Z. Naser
Committee Member
Dr. Michael Stoner
Abstract
Lightweight grout has many potential benefits in masonry construction, including minimizing mass, improving thermal performance, and potentially reducing shrinkage cracking via internal curing. However, insufficient testing of masonry assemblies with lightweight grout has been conducted to suggest appropriate design modification factors akin to the lambda factor in ACI 318-19. The objective of this paper is to study the tensile bond behavior of masonry assemblies grouted with lightweight grout and to suggest appropriate equations for predicting design capacity. A moment couple test is designed specifically for grouted masonry assemblies and has additional capacity compared to the traditional ASTM 1072 bond wrench device. In this type of test, expanded clay aggregates are used to formulate a grout mix used to form two-unit fully grouted masonry assemblies for the testing. This thesis discusses the design of the moment couple test device, the preparation of the grouted prims used to test flexural bond strength, and the results of the flexural bond strength testing. The results of the testing indicate that the current tabulated values for fully grouted masonry subjected to tension normal to the bed joint may be sufficiently conservative for use with assemblies comprised of lightweight grout. Future research will include the testing of masonry assemblies constructed with expanded slate masonry grout and will examine the relationship between the flexural tensile strength and the equilibrium density of the grout.
Recommended Citation
Hiner, Benjamin L., "Flexural Bond Strength of Masonry Assemblies with Lightweight Grout" (2022). All Theses. 3937.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/3937