Parametric study on laterite prism under uniaxial compression through numerical modeling

The influence of parameters such as laterite elastic modulus, mortar elastic modulus, and mortar thickness on the stress–strain behaviour of laterite masonry prisms under in-plane compression loading is numerically assessed in this work. As constitutive laws of laterite and mortar, the “concrete damage plasticity” model was adopted. The ‘cohesive surface-based’ behavior (interface elements) has been used for the joint between laterite and mortar. The material properties of laterite and mortar required for the present study are obtained experimentally. The numerical study was done using FEM-based software ABAQUS. The experimental data and literature were used to validate the numerical analysis. The analysis results show a reduction in the prism strength as the thickness of mortar increased and it shows that elastic modulus of laterite has a direct impact on the compressive strength of laterite prism.