Author
A. BRENCICH1, C. CORRADI1, L. GAMBAROTTA1, G. MANTEGAZZA2, and E. STERPI11Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering – University of Genoa – Italy 2RUREDIL s.p.a. – Milan – Italy

Abstract
Arches, vaults and pillars generally experience an eccentric normal load. As a consequence, the classical theories of masonry collapse, developed for concentrically compressed brickwork, are not directly applicable. In this paper experimental data on solid clay brick and lime-mortar masonry prisms, eccentrically loaded, is presented. Comparing the results to the response of a Finite Element Analysis (FEM) model, some hints on the collapse mechanism of masonry show that the edge effects greatly affect the load-bearing capacity of the brickwork. In addition, the plane section assumption is found to be acceptable up to the ultimate compressive strength, allowing relatively simple models to be used for arch-type structures.