Experimental investigation on tensile strength of hollow concrete blocks

• Published in: Materials and structures 2021-08, Vol.54 (4), Article 164
• Main Authors: Álvarez-Pérez, José, Mesa-Lavista, Milena, Chávez-Gómez, Jorge H., Fajardo-San Miguel, Gerardo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Building construction; Building Materials; Civil Engineering; Compression tests; Compressive strength; Concrete blocks; Engineering; Isotropy; Machines; Manufacturing; Materials Science; Original Article; Processes; Solid Mechanics; Splitting; Statistical analysis; Tensile strength; Tensile tests; Test procedures; Theoretical and Applied Mechanics; Vertical forces
• ISSN: 1359-5997; 1871-6873
• DOI: 10.1617/s11527-021-01761-3

In this paper, an experimental and statistical analysis was carried out from hollow concrete blocks. Firstly, 30 blocks were tested under compression force ( vertical -direction). After, 60 blocks were studied under the splitting test from ASTM–C–1006 and, later a direct tensile test was applied to other 60 blocks. The blocks, in the direct tensile test, were subjected to a tensile force in the horizontal directions (30 in each directions). For the direct tensile test, a special test procedure was developed. The results show that, independently of the test procedure applied (direct or splitting), the tensile strength has a significant statistical difference between both horizontal directions ( x and y ), evidencing the non–isotropy character from the hollow concrete blocks. Splitting method results was significantly smaller in the x –direction than by the direct method, contrary in the y –direction. A statistical analysis of parametric and non-parametric hypothesis tests was used to determine the significance levels between both test procedures. In addition, this article concludes with a discussion between the compressive and tensile strength relationships in the orthogonal directions of the hollow concrete blocks. Graphical abstract