Abstract

This paper presents a method to analyses the structural feasibility and assemblability of the masonry assemblages composed of interlocking blocks. Interlocking blocks with projections and depressions on their faces have relatively better structural performance comparing to the conventional blocks with flat faces, during and after the construction. Therefore, they can represent proper alternatives to the conventional blocks for the seismic retrofitting of unreinforced masonry structures. Structural soundness and assemblability of a model are both functions of the interlocking block geometry. The proposed methods enable the designer to adjust the shape of the interlocking blocks, while meeting the structural and assembling requirements. The paper first introduces an extension of the limit analysis to the assemblages with corrugated interlocking interfaces having anisotropic sliding behavior. Then, the work reformulates the extended limit analysis to develop a method to measure the structural infeasibility due to the lack of sliding resistance at the interlocking interfaces. This is called sliding infeasibility and the designer can minimize it during the shape exploration. Finally, an assemblability method is presented to check if the designed interlocking blocks can be assembled on the other blocks in contact. This method is added to the extended limit analysis and the sliding infeasibility measurement method in form of a geometric constraint that prevents modeling of un-assemblable structures.