New shear testing method for existing masonry developed
9 July 2020
An article authored by Dario Foppoli and Alessandro Armanasco, titled “A Flat Jacks Method for in Situ Testing of Brick Masonry Shear Characteristics”, has recently been published in "Construction and Building Materials", one of the leading international scientific journals in the field of construction materials, published by Elsevier.
The article is available for consultation and sharing at the following link: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1bMfN3O1E1K9Bu
The paper presents and thoroughly analyzes the results of the experimental campaign carried out by Foppoli Moretta e Associati between 2014 and 2016, both in the laboratory and in situ, as part of its research program “In Situ Testing of Masonry Characteristics.” The activities were aimed at developing an innovative testing technique for the in situ determination of the shear properties of masonry, designed to be significantly less invasive—and therefore more widely applicable—than existing methods. The new technique, named Flat Jacks – Shear Compression Test (FJ-SCT), essentially consists of a shear-compression test performed using flat jacks.
Preliminary results of the research, entirely funded by the company, had already been presented at several international conferences (19th World Conference on Non-Destructive Testing in Munich, 2016; 10th International Masonry Conference in Milan, 2018; and 11th International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions, 2018), receiving very positive feedback.
Before being accepted by the journal, the paper underwent the standard peer review process, carried out by leading international experts in the field, who assessed its suitability for publication. The three anonymous reviewers, while suggesting detailed revisions, highlighted the exemplary nature of the research, particularly as it was conducted by a private company that was nevertheless able to operate with a rigorous scientific approach and provide well-documented results.
