Morphology of cracks and comparison of load‐bearing capacity of joints of AAC masonry walls

Structural problems of wall joints in masonry structures are often neglected. This has its historical justification: with the traditional binding of the walls and relatively durable walls, the damage was rare. Currently, with the constant striving to simplify the structure, the introduction of new technologies and materials, damage and failures are becoming commonplace. Replacing the traditional masonry bond with fasteners significantly affects the operation of the entire structure and its possible cracking. The paper presents the results of experimental tests of wall joints made of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) masonry elements. Reference models consisting of two wall panels connected perpendicularly with a traditional masonry bond and models with the same geometry but with a modified connection method—using various types of connectors popular on the market (plates, rods, nets) were tested. The shape and size of the research models and the construction of the test stand were determined on the basis of the analysis of current knowledge, pilot studies and FEM numerical analyses. The mechanisms of cracking and damage as well as the behavior of different types of fasteners were compared. The analyses concerned load‐bearing capacity and the morphology and damage mechanism of the models.