The paper describes the development of a new interlocking hollow block masonry system appropriate for load bearing masonry wall construction. The developed system is an alternative to the traditional bonded masonry system where the blocks in the wall are integrated through mortar layers. In the system developed, the blocks are stacked on one another and three-dimensional interlocking protrusions are provided in the blocks to integrate the blocks into walls. This paper includes the background, concept and procedure used to develop an efficient interlocking hollow block system, which may be used in the construction of load bearing walls. Twenty-one different block models have been investigated and analysed with respect to weight, bearing and shear areas, shape, ease of production, ability to accommodate vertical and horizontal reinforcing stabilising ties and efficiency of the interlocking mechanism under imposed loads. The blocks, developed under the name 'PUTRA BLOCK', have been used to construct a single-storey house at Universiti Putra Malaysia. The system provides a fast, easy and an accurate building system.
A three-dimensional reinforced concrete framed building was modelled using finite element method. Two types of elements, the beam-column element and flat shell element were used for modelling the frame and floor slabs, respectively. A computer program has been developed for the analysis of 3D framed building by integrating the finite element and stiffness method. The lumped inelasticity model with three-dimensional point hinges at the ends of the beam-column element was implemented. A yield surface for a reinforced section of the member subjected to simultaneous actions of biaxial bending, torsion and axial forces was evolved. The developed yield surface integrated with the theory of plasticity was used to develop a suitable procedure for inelastic analysis of three-dimensional problems with the floor slab assumed to remain elastic throughout the analysis. The inelastic procedure is able to predict the sequential formation of plastic hinges in the frame members and the continuous deterioration of the stiffness of the frame. A single storey one bay reinforced concrete space frame was analysed for twist loading to study the inelastic response of the reinforced concrete frame. The results indicate that, the consideration of torsion in defining the yielding surface plays a significant role in the inelastic behaviour and estimation of failure load for reinforced concrete frames under torsional loading.
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