Dynamic Properties of Concrete Block Masonry Materials

Detailed study of the mechanical properties and performance of building materials is essential in the safe and economic design of engineering infrastructure. In this study, the mechanical performance of a concrete block masonry material (CBMM) is investigated using ultrasound waves. On this basis, laboratory P- and S-wave measurements were conducted on the CBMM at varying degrees of pressure between 12 and 102 MPa to study the dependence of the ultrasonic wave velocities measurements on the applied pressure. A marked increase in the recorded ultrasonic wave velocities is observed from the laboratory tests during the application of confining pressure, for all the orthogonal wave propagation directions. On average, the recorded P- and S-wave velocities of the material rose by approximately 11.3% and 8.4%, respectively, when the applied pressure was elevated from 12 to 102 MPa. P- and S-wave measurements on a material can be used to determine important mechanical properties of the material such as elastic modulus, Poisson’s ratio, density, and others, thereby enabling the accurate determination of geomechanical properties of a material without having the need to perform destructive testing methods on the material.