Numerical analysis and experimental verification of a locally resonant interlocking brick assembly

The recent global housing affordability crisis has heightened the demand for more efficient and cost-effective construction methods. Within these solutions, mortarless interlocking bricks have gained attention because they are self-aligning and mortar-free, reducing construction costs and easing reliance on skilled labour. Studies have shown that interlocking bricks exhibit significant energy dissipation due to inter-brick friction; however, this capability diminishes rapidly with repeated loading because of brick surface abrasion. This study proposes a novel meta-block, designed to provide a durable enhancement of the dynamic response of interlocking bricks. The meta-block comprises locally resonant elements (LREs) embedded within interlocking bricks. A stochastic analysis, calibrated against experimental tests, studied meta-blocks including the randomness introduced by inter-brick gaps due to brick imperfections and lack of mortar. A novel LRE was designed using this framework, achieving a displacement attenuation of 35%. Stochastic parametric analyses revealed that the effectiveness of LREs increased progressively with each unit of the chain. Subsequently, experimental validation examined the dynamic response of meta-blocks. Results confirmed that the band gap formation and attenuation levels were within the range of numerical predictions. The study establishes a robust design methodology for meta-blocks and highlights their potential for mitigating dynamic responses in modular systems.