A Study of the Mechanical Behavior of Cast-in-Situ Lintels

This work evaluated the mechanical behavior of structural masonry lintels built with hollow clay blocks. The compressive strength and failure mode of lintels under bending were determine using three different types of lintels: grouted and reinforced lintels made with U section blocks, structural blocks with horizontal prefabricated laying joint reinforcements and horizontal and vertical joint reinforcements with MURFOR® truss and brackets. The test results indicated that the failures occur by shear strength. The use of lintels with grout demonstrated high levels of load strength, when compared with the others models. The use of horizontal and vertical reinforcement (MURFOR®), support higher level of loading, compared with models that had only horizontal reinforced joints.