Eka Juliafad, Fajri Yusmar, Nevy Sandra, Lisyana Junelin Restu, Fauzan
The interlocking mechanism enhances the material's shear strength by increasing its resistance to shear forces and reducing the likelihood of brittle failure. In this study, rattan was employed as the interlocking material due to its inherent ductility, which is anticipated to improve the shear performance of masonry walls. This system was applied to locally produced red brick units in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The proposed interlocking system introduces a lightweight, affordable, and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional strengthening techniques. The home industry usually makes red bricks in Indonesia with minimal supervision; hence, the compression and shear strength are inadequate. The test objects were red bricks available in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Rattan interlocked these bricks at penetration depths of 0.5 cm, 1 cm, and 1.5 cm. Compressive and shear strengths were tested on the masonry with these interlocking configurations. The results showed that the bricks with 1.5 cm interlocking had the best performance; their compressive strength of 11.74 Kg/cm2 decreased by only 13% compared to bricks without an interlocking system of 13.44 Kg/cm2. The shear strength was 5.988 Kg/cm2, which increased by 63% compared to the brick unit without an interlocking system, which was 3.599 Kg/cm2. © 2025 The Authors. Journal of Rehabilitation in Civil Engineering published by Semnan University Press.
Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia
