A nonlinear macroelement model for the seismic analysis of masonry buildings

The macroelement technique for modelling the nonlinear response of masonry panels is particularly efficient and suitable for the analysis of the seismic behaviour of complex walls and buildings. The paper presents a macroelement model specifically developed for simulating the cyclic in‐plane response of masonry walls, with possible applications in nonlinear static and dynamic analysis of masonry structures. The model, starting from a previously developed macroelement model, has been refined in the representation of flexural–rocking and shear damage modes, and it is capable of fairly simulating the experimental response of cyclic tests performed on masonry piers. By means of two internal degrees of freedom, the two‐node macroelement permits to represent the coupling of axial and flexural response as well as the interaction of shear and flexural damage. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic vulnerability assessment and fragility analysis of pre-code masonry buildings in Portugal

Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering - Despite the fact that in recent years Portugal has not seen the occurrence of high-magnitude earthquakes, it remains threatened by these events due to its...     

A numerical model for seismic analysis of masonry buildings: Experimental correlations

A non-linear finite element model for plain masonry structures under lateral static loads and seismic base inputs is presented. Three super-imposed elasto-plastic shear elements are used in order to approximate the typical force-displacement curve for masonry. Material properties are identified with respect to results of shear tests on single piers. Modelling of entire structures is then performed and the numerical results are satisfactorily checked against the experimental outputs of static and shaking table tests of simple 1 and 2 storey buildings. The out of plane behaviour of walls is accounted for by means of a simplified method.     

Evaluation of the seismic response of masonry buildings based on energy functions

This work is based on energies evaluated from the responses of 12 stone and brick masonry systems subjected to 58 shaking table tests. The evolution of input energy during a damaging base excitation is correlated to the change of the damage patterns of the considered buildings. The comparison among energies dissipated and absorbed by the buildings during the various shocks gives some hints on strengthening strategies. It is found that damage to spandrel beams produces a more significant energy absorption than other types of damage. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study on vulnerability matrices of masonry buildings of mainland China

The degree and distribution of damage to buildings subjected to earthquakes is a concern of the Chinese Government and the public. Seismic damage data indicates that seismic capacities of different types of building structures in various regions throughout mainland China are different. Furthermore, the seismic capacities of the same type of structure in different regions may vary. The contributions of this research are summarized as follows: 1) Vulnerability matrices and earthquake damage matrices of masonry structures in mainland China were chosen as research samples. The aim was to analyze the differences in seismic capacities of sample matrices and to present general rules for categorizing seismic resistance. 2) Curves relating the percentage of damaged masonry structures with different seismic resistances subjected to seismic demand in different regions of seismic intensity (VI to X) have been developed. 3) A method has been proposed to build vulnerability matrices of masonry structures. The damage ratio for masonry structures under high-intensity events such as the Ms 6.1 Panzhihua earthquake in Sichuan province on 30 August 2008, was calculated to verify the applicability of this method. This research offers a significant theoretical basis for predicting seismic damage and direct loss assessment of groups of buildings, as well as for earthquake disaster insurance.     

甘肃省农村民房地震易损性的调查与分析

甘肃省农村地震灾害严重。基于对甘肃省农村民房的调查和数次农村民房震害资料分析,概括论述了甘肃省农村民房的主要类型及其抗震性能,研究分析了甘肃农村民房地震易损性的主要影响因素,涉及农村民房的建筑场地和地基基础、结构布局、施工技术、选材用料以及维护使用等方面。     

Study on vulnerability matrices of masonry buildings of mainland of China

The degree and distribution of damage to buildings subjected to earthquakes is a concern of the Chinese Government and the public.Seismic damage data indicates that seismic capacities of different types of building structures in various regions throughout mainland of China are different.Furthermore,the seismic capacities of the same type of structure in different regions may vary.The contributions of this research are summarized as follows:1)Vulnerability matrices and earthquake damage matrices of masonry structures in mainland of China were chosen as research samples.The aim was to analyze the differences in seismic capacities of sample matrices and to present general rules for categorizing seismic resistance.2)Curves relating the percentage of damaged masonry structures with different seismic resistances subjected to seismic demand in different regions of seismic intensity(VI to X)have been developed.3)A method has been proposed to build vulnerability matrices of masonry structures.The damage ratio for masonry structures under high-intensity events such as the Ms 6.1 Panzhihua earthquake in Sichuan province on 30 August2008,was calculated to verify the applicability of this method.This research offers a significant theoretical basis for predicting seismic damage and direct loss assessment of groups of buildings,as well as for earthquake disaster insurance.     

配筋混凝土砌块砌体高层模拟结构抗震分析

以上海园南小区配筋砌块砌体高层住宅作为原型结构，通过变化结构的一些基本参数，模拟成一系列新的结构，对模拟结构进行了抗震分析，研究了结构参数对配筋砌块砌体结构抗震性能的影响。     

Empirical seismic vulnerability assessment of Icelandic buildings affected by the 2000 sequence of earthquakes

In June 2000, two Mw6.5 earthquakes occurred within a 4-day interval in the largest agricultural region of Iceland causing substantial damage and no loss of life. The distance between the earthquake epicentres and the fault rupture was approximately 15 km. Nearly 5000 low-rise residential buildings were affected, some of which were located between the faults and exposed to strong ground motion from both events. The post-earthquakes damage and repair costs for every residential building in the epicentral region were assessed for insurance purposes. The database is detailed and complete for the whole region and represents one of the best quality post-earthquake vulnerability datasets used for seismic loss estimation. Nonetheless, the construction of vulnerability curves from this database is hampered by the fact that the loss values represent the cumulative damage from two sequential earthquakes in some areas, and single earthquakes in others. A novel methodology based on beta regression is proposed here in order to define the geographical limits on areas where buildings sustained cumulative damage and predict the seismic losses for future sequence of events in each area. The results show that the average building loss in areas affected by a single event is below 10% of the building replacement value, whilst this increases to an average of 25% in areas affected by the two earthquakes. The proposed methodology can be used to empirically assess the vulnerability in other areas which experienced sequence of events such as Emilia-Romagna (Italy) in 2012.     

Seismic design analysis of the country masonry school buildings in the meizoseismal area

Several reinforcing schemes are illustrated that are based on the loading characteristics of typical country masonry school buildings with sparsely spaced transversal walls and large depth. From the seismic damage observed following the Wenchuan Earthquake, the effects of reinforcing schemes, tie-columns and tie-beams on the seismic resistance of masonry buildings are analyzed. The concept of improving the ductility of these types of buildings is presented. Finally, some suggestions are proposed for the design of masonry buildings with sparsely spaced transversal walls and large depth.     

Non-linear static analysis of masonry buildings based on a strut-and-tie modeling

This paper presents an analytical method for evaluating the capacity curve of masonry buildings according to non-linear static analysis. This method splits the building into stories, and the vertical structures of each story into masonry panels, which are analyzed individually by a new push-over analysis. The behavior of each panel is reproduced with an evolutive strut-and-tie model, which simulates the uncracked and cracked behavior of the panel subjected to a vertical constant force and a lateral force that increases up to the complete development of the failure mechanism. The strut-and-tie model provides the capacity curve of the panel. The composition of the capacity curves of all the panels of a story provides the capacity curve of this story. The capacity curves of all the stories of the building can be used to obtain either the maximum drift that the building can withstand or the behavior factor of the structure. Either outcome allows the specific dissipation capacity and overstrength of the masonry building to be considered in the seismic analyses, which provides ultimate limit state verifications with more reliability.The proposed method is applied to a school building. The comparison between seismic safety assessed with this method and with a linear dynamic analysis, all other parameters being equal, shows that the latter approach is overly-conservative and misleading. In fact, the specific inelastic capacity, which only the former approach can consider, influences greatly the seismic behavior of the case study.     

Twin lintel belt in steel for seismic strengthening of brick masonry buildings

A single-room, single-storey full-scale brick masonry building with precast RC roofing system was tested thric eunder displacement controlled lateral cyclic loading, to assess the effectiveness of the basic repair and seismic strengthening techniques. Initially, the virgin building specimen was loaded laterally to failure, In the second stage, the damaged building was repaired by stitching across the cracks, and tested under the same lateral loading. In the third stage, the twice-damaged structure was repaired once more by stitching and strengthened by twin lintel belt in steel and vertical corner reinforcement,and re-tested. The building strengthened by twin lintel belt in steel showed about 28% higher strength under lateral loading than the virgin building.     

Performance-based methodology for assessing seismic vulnerability and capacity of buildings

This paper presents a performance-based methodology for the assessment of seismic vulnerability and capacity of buildings. The vulnerability assessment methodology is based on the HAZUS methodology and the improved capacity- demand-diagram method. The spectral displacement (Sd) of performance points on a capacity curve is used to estimate the damage level of a building. The relationship between Sd and peak ground acceleration (PGA) is established, and then a new vulnerability function is expressed in terms of PGA. Furthermore, the expected value of the seismic capacity index (SCev) is provided to estimate the seismic capacity of buildings based on the probability distribution of damage levels and the corresponding seismic capacity index. The results indicate that the proposed vulnerability methodology is able to assess seismic damage of a large number of building stock directly and quickly following an earthquake. The SCev provides an effective index to measure the seismic capacity of buildings and illustrate the relationship between the seismic capacity of buildings and seismic action. The estimated result is compared with damage surveys of the cities of Dujiangyan and Jiangyou in the M8.0 Wenchuan earthquake, revealing that the methodology is acceptable for seismic risk assessment and decision making. The primary reasons for discrepancies between the estimated results and the damage surveys are discussed.     

Modelling methods of historic masonry buildings under seismic excitation

Historic masonry buildings in seismically active regions are severely damaged by earthquakes, since they certainly have not been explicitly designed by the original builders to withstand seismic effects, at least not in a ‘scientific’ way from today’s point of view. The assessment of their seismic safety is an important first step in planning the appropriate interventions for improving their pertinent resistance. This paper presents a procedure for assessing the seismic safety of historic masonry buildings based on measurements of their natural frequencies and numerical simulations. The modelling of the brittle nonlinear behaviour of masonry is carried out on the macro-level. As an example, a recently completed investigation of the seismic behaviour of the Aachen Cathedral is given, this being the first German cultural monument to be included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list in 1978. Its construction goes back to the 9th century a.d. and it is considered as one of the finest examples of religious architecture in Central Europe. The investigation is based on measurements of the natural frequencies at different positions and numerical simulations using a detailed finite element model of the Cathedral.     

多层砌体房屋抗震加固方法述评

本文讨论了多层砌体房屋抗震加固的原则,对目前常用的多层砌体房屋的加固方法进行了简要的论述,提出了各种方法的特点和适用范围以及需要注意的问题,并指出了将来可能的发展方向。     

Effect of out-of-plane behavior on seismic fragility of masonry buildings in Turkey

This study focuses on the evaluation of seismic safety of unreinforced masonry buildings in Turkey by using fragility curves generated for two behavior modes of load bearing walls: in-plane and out-of-plane. During generation of fragility curves, a force-based approach has been used. There exist two limit states in terms of base shear strength for in-plane behavior mode and flexural strength for out-of-plane behavior mode. To assess the seismic vulnerability of unreinforced masonry buildings in Turkey, fragility curves generated for in-plane behavior were verified by the observed damage during the 1995 Dinar (Turkey) earthquake and fragility curves generated for out-of-plane behavior were verified by the observed damage during the 2010 Elaz?? (Turkey) earthquake. The verification results reveal that the proposed fragility-based procedure can provide an alternative for the seismic safety evaluation of unreinforced masonry buildings in Turkey. Using this procedure, it becomes possible to investigate a large population of masonry buildings located in regions of high seismic risk in a short period of time. The obtained results are valuable in the sense that they can be used as a database during the development of strategies for pre-earthquake planning and risk mitigation for earthquake prone regions of Turkey.     

Methodology for practical seismic assessment of unreinforced masonry buildings with historical value

Historical constructions are part of the world heritage, and their survival is an important priority. Comprising mostly unreinforced, load‐bearing masonry, heritage buildings may date anywhere from antiquity to the 19th and early 20th century. Being exposed to the elements over the years, they are in various states of disrepair and material degradation. Based on postearthquake reconnaissance reports, these structures occasionally behave rather poorly, even in moderate seismic events, undergoing catastrophic damage and collapse, whereas retrofitting is governed by international conventions regarding noninvasiveness and reversibility of the intervention. The complexity of their structural systems (continuous structural components, lack of diaphragm action, material brittleness, and variability) challenges the established methods of condition assessment of preretrofitted and postretrofitted heritage constructions. The most advanced state of the art in materials and analysis tools is required, far more complex than with conventional buildings. Thus, an assessment procedure specifically geared to this class of structures is urgently needed, in order to assist engineers in this endeavor. The objective of this paper is the development of a performance‐based assessment framework that is palatable to practitioners and quite accurate in seismic assessment of unreinforced masonry buildings with no diaphragm action. The underlying theoretical background of the method is illustrated with reference to first principles: global demand is obtained from the design earthquake scenario for the region, using empirical estimates for the prevailing translational period of the system; deformation demands are localized using an approximation to the translational 3‐D shape of lateral response, estimated using a uniform gravitational field in the direction of action of the earthquake; acceptance criteria are specified in terms of relative drift ratios, referring to the in‐plane and the out‐of‐plane action of the masonry piers. The quantitative accuracy of the introduced procedure is evaluated through comparison with detailed time‐history dynamic analysis results, using a real life example case study. Qualitative relevance of the results is evaluated through comparison of the location and extent of anticipated damage estimated from the proposed assessment procedure, with reported records of the building damages that occurred during a significant past earthquake event.