A micro-mechanical model for the limit analysis of running bond masonry: applications and validation for in- and out-of-plane loaded structures.

In this chapter, a simple micro-mechanical model for the homogenised limit analysis of masonry is reviewed. Assuming brickwork under plane stress conditions and adopting a polynomial expansion for the stress field, a linear optimization problem is derived on the elementary cell in order to recover the homogenised failure surface of the brickwork. The implementation of the homogenised failure surfaces for in-plane and out-of-plane behaviour in a finite element limit analysis code is also addressed. Finally, relevant structural examples are treated with particular emphasis on the upper bound method and are compared with competing approaches.