Investigation of the effect of the mortar thickness in masonry minarets by using anisotropic model

As is known, the masonry structures, together with the main structural materials, such as stone or brick, consist of mortar material which serves as the adhesive between these materials. In general, the mechanical properties of brick, stone and mortar materials are different. However, they have been used throughout history and have been the unchanging materials used in masonry structures. The structural walls are formed by the heterogeneous joining of two materials with different mechanical properties. However, these heterogeneous structural elements are generally considered homogeneous for ease of calculation. In this study, the effects of different joint thicknesses on masonry structures on minarets structure were investigated. Changes in structure behaviour were investigated by using different material properties to a masonry minaret structure. By examining these differences, the effect of isotropic or anisotropic modelling on the result, the effect of mortar thickness on the result was compared and the results were interpreted.