Experimental setup and numerical evaluation of the compression test on thin tiles for masonry timbrel vaults

Compressive tests on clay tiles used in historical masonry timbrel vaults are hindered by the relatively small thickness of the specimens, resulting in buckling or confinement problems depending on the loading direction. This paper presents an experimental campaign and a numerical validation of a novel testing setup for estimating the compressive strength of thin clay tiles used in timbrel vaults. The experimental campaign focuses on two different types corresponding to historical and modern handmade tiles. Experimental and numerical results show that the proposed test setup can be used for the estimation of the compressive strength of thin clay tiles.