Strategies for Improving the Response of Drystack Masonry to Compression

Drystack or mortarless walling can be constructed faster with less skilled labour compared to the traditional mortared masonry walls; however, the contact surface unevenness of the blocks affects the constructability of drystack system. This thesis is aimed at studying the contact surface properties of drystack masonry and to propose suitable mitigation through systematic experimental and numerical studies so that this masonry type could be constructed with ease and used as a structural system. New genre composite materials are proposed to improve the performance of drystack masonry by embedding between the blocks and by providing protective layering on the drystack walls