Material and Out-of-plane Flexural Properties of Traditional Masonry Wall

The October 2013 Earthquake hit the Bohol Island of the Philippines. Many traditional churches were damaged by the earthquake. In this study, material tests were conducted to assess the strength of the Philippinesโ traditional masonry wall, which is composed of various materials. Additionally, out-of-plane flexural experiments were conducted to elucidate the mechanical characteristics of masonry walls found in traditional churches. The wall specimens used in this study were made of a variety of materials with different compositions. The major findings of this study are summarized as follows: (a) compressive tests and splitting tensile tests were conducted for various test samples having distinct compositions. For both tests, the strength of the cylinders without additional materials was greater than that with contamination, expect for those containing egg whites; (b) out-of-plane flexural experiments were conducted on four specimens to identify their structural characteristics.