Influence of the masonry wall thickness on the outcomes of double flat-jack test: Experimental and numerical investigation

Abstract The formulas provided by the standards or available in the literature for the calculation of the elastic modulus don’t consider many variables that influence the results of flat jack tests such as, first of all, the influence of the wall thickness. In this paper, flat-jack tests were performed - in the laboratory - on masonry wall specimens having the same geometrical and mechanical properties but different thickness. Then, a numerical assessment by FEM was carried out in order to extend the experimental evidences to the case of masonry walls with large thickness. This study allows to more accurately predict the masonry elastic modulus by double flat-jack test and it provides important data useful for the research activity as well as for the engineering practice.