Assessment of Periphery Free-Standing Masonry Wall for Structural Safety and Integrity

All around the world, free-standing stone walls are extremely common. They are widely used as private land, household gardens, and industrial and commercial premises barriers. Free-standing walls are built between pilasters, which are rectangular projectile columns made of masonry blocks that offer extra support to the filling wall and base. The pilaster is built at predetermined intervals throughout the wall’s length and cantilevered up from the foundation. Masonry units that stretch horizontally between pilasters are known as fillers. Free-standing walls are generally subject to lateral loads such as wind loads, ground pressure, and so on. This research studies the prevalence of several forms of cracks in free-standing masonry walls, which are caused by vegetation growth, differential settling, and other factors that cause the failure of the compound wall. Every filler wall between the pilasters is measured and surveyed to determine its deflection and height from the foundation. More deflection is observed along the length of the free-standing wall in the mid-region between the pilasters, and we may compare the deflection by imagining the free-standing masonry wall with the pilaster using survey data. According to the findings of this study, the brick wall is deflected due to vegetation growth and foundation sinking, and weathering action leads the wall to expand and compress, creating fractures.