Avaliação da resistência à compressão de prismas cerâmicos e de concreto

Abstract

Structural masonry is an old constructive system which nowadays is largely used in Brazil, mainly in large scale housing projects. The block is the main element of the structural masonry; it resists to the compression stresses and accidental loads and, also, ensures thermal and acoustic insulation. In Brazil, the main used blocks types in buildings in structural masonry are the ceramic and the concrete ones. Research related to the behaviour and interaction of the constituent materials of the structural masonry when subjected to compression and traction stresses are of great value to a better understanding and exploitation of this constructive system. The compressive strength is the most relevant strength parameter to the structural masonry, since this is the main action in which the masonry is subjected to. The estimation of the compressive strength of the structural walls through the prism test is extremely interesting due to its easy manufacturing of the specimens and to the outcomes being satisfactory. The main objective of this paper is to analyse the compression specimens in prisms constituted by different types of structural blocks, by comparing the mechanic behaviour of the specimens. For the tests, it was moulded 12 prisms of 2 units, in which 6 are constituted by ceramic blocks and 6 by concrete blocks; also, beyond the prisms, 6 blocks of each type were subjected to compressive tests. With the results analysis it can be concluded that the structural ceramic block, when compared to the structural concrete block, presented the best behaviour when subjected to compressive stresses.