Towards Suitable Shear Strength Provisions for Inclusion in the New Zealand Masonry Design Standard

Abstract

This paper compares results derived when using different equations to predict the maximum in-plane shear strength of reinforced fully-grouted masonry walls under different conditions, such as different shear reinforcement ratios, shear span ratios, axial compression stresses and masonry compressive strength. These expressions are also correlated with a comprehensive database of test results to establish their suitability. It is concluded that the New Zealand and Australian masonry design standards are conservative in predicting the masonry shear strength, and that a shear equation proposed by Anderson and Priestley [1] should be considered as a strong candidate for a future harmonised Australian/New Zealand masonry design standard.