Shove tests

The direct shear test is carried out to define the average value of the shear resistance for sliding of masonry with regular elements and perfectly horizontal courses. The test consists in applying a horizontal force through a hydraulic jack until the sliding of a brick unit – isolated from the rest of the masonry in its head joints – is obtained. The shear resistance is then calculated on the gross area of ​​the upper and lower bed joints between the block and the surrounding masonry. To obtain the masonry cohesion (or shear capacity in absence of confining forces), the local state of compression must be known by direct measurement with a single flat jack in a neighbouring wall area, by stress imposition with test executed in masonry between two pressurized flat jacks or with an analytical method.
Reference standards: RILEM TC 127-MS.D.6; ASTM C1531 – 16.