Verification of Mechanical Properties of Historical Brick Masonry Walls with Masonry Quality Index Method in Iran

Identification of mechanical characteristics of the materials used in heritage constructions is one of the most important steps in their seismic assessment, which may be determined through destructive, semi-destructive (or minor destructive) and non-destructive tests. Due to the fact that destructive and semi-destructive testing on heritage buildings is often impossible, Italian researchers have proposed a qualitative method called the masonry quality index to estimate the mechanical properties of heritage building materials. In this article, the MQI method has been validated in seven different historical buildings in Qajar dynasty period dating back to 1785-1925 A.D. The results were compared to those of double flat jack tests performed with permission from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts in Iran. The compressive strength and elastic modulus for brick masonry were in the range of 0.4-2.5 MPa and 650-4150 MPa, respectively. In addition, two equations were presented to estimate the compressive strength and elastic modulus of historical masonry walls without the need for performing minor destructive in-situ tests.