All the specimens were tested in a 10,000 kN capacity universal testing
machine. The specimen was placed vertically on the floor of the machine and tested
under monotonically increasing compressive load. The load was recorded by a load
cell placed at the top of the specimen. Two LVDTs (100 mm gauge length) were
placed vertically in two opposite sides of the specimen to measure the vertical
deflections. Six LVDTs (50 mm gauge length) were positioned horizontally 180
apart at three different levels, e.g., at mid height and at 25 mm away from the
top and bottom surface of the specimen. All the LVDTs and pre-installed strain
gauges were connected to a Data Logger before the test. The test was carried out
under displacement controlled compressive load with a strain rate of 0.5 mm/
min. Figs. 3 and 4 show the test setup and specimen under the testing machine
before carrying out the test, respectively