Failure of masonry arches under impulse base motion

Recent seismic events have caused damage or collapse of invaluable historical buildings, further proving the vulnerability of unreinforced masonry (URM) structures to earthquakes. This study aims to understand failure of masonry arches—typical components of URM historic structures—subjected to horizontal ground acceleration impulses. An analytical model is developed to describe the dynamic behaviour of the arch and is used to predict the combinations of impulse magnitudes and durations which lead to its collapse. The model considers impact of the rigid blocks through several cycles of motion, illustrating that failure can occur at lower ground accelerations than previously believed. The resulting failure domains are of potential use for design and assessment purposes. Predictions of the analytical model are compared with results of numerical modelling by the distinct element method, and the good agreement between results validates the analytical model and at the same time confirms the potential of the distinct element framework as a method of evaluating complex URM structures under dynamic loading. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.