Shove test

The direct shear test is carried out to determine the average value of the shear resistance to sliding of masonry with regular elements and perfectly horizontal courses. The test consists of applying a horizontal force by means of a hydraulic jack until the sliding of a brick – isolated from the rest of the masonry at 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. In order to obtain the masonry cohesion (or the shear capacity in the absence of restraining forces), the local state of compression must be known, either by direct measurement with a single flat jack in an adjacent wall area, by stress imposition with a test carried out in the masonry between two pressurized flat jacks, or by an analytical method.

Reference standards: RILEM TC 127-MS.D.6; ASTM C1531 – 16.