• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제22권5호
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• pp.475-485
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• 2022

This paper presents a comparative experimental study on structural behavior of the interlocking masonry walls under in-plane cyclic loading. The main purpose of this study is to increase lateral load-bearing capacities of masonry walls by using interlocking units. The interlocking units were designed by considering failure modes of masonry walls and produced using lightweight foamed concrete. To this end, three masonry walls which are hollow, fully grouted, and reinforced were constructed with interlocking units. Also, a traditional masonry brick wall was built for comparison reasons. The walls were tested under in-plane cyclic loading. Then, structural parameters of the walls such as lateral load bearing and total energy dissipation capacities, ductility, stiffness degradation as well as failure modes obtained from the tests were compared with each other. The results have shown that the walls with the interlocking units have better structural performance than traditional masonry brick walls and they may be used in the construction of low-rise masonry structures in rural areas to improve in-plane structural performance.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제62권5호
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• pp.643-649
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• 2017

Masonry walls are amongst the oldest building systems. A large portion of the research on these structures focuses on the load-bearing walls. Numerical methods have been generally used in modelling load-bearing walls during recent years. In this context, macro and micro modelling techniques emerge as widely accepted techniques. Micro modelling is used to investigate the local behaviour of load-bearing walls in detail whereas macro modelling is used to investigate the general behaviour of masonry buildings. The main objective of this study is to investigate the elastic behaviour of the load- bearing walls in masonry buildings by using micro modelling technique. In order to do this the brick and mortar units of the masonry walls are modelled by the combination of plane truss elements and plane frame elements with no shear deformations. The model used in this study has fewer unknowns then the models encountered in the references. In this study the vertical frame elements have equivalent elasticity modulus and moment of inertia which are calculated by the developed software. Under in-plane static loads the elastic displacements of the masonry walls, which are encountered in literature, are calculated by the developed software, where brick units are modelled by plane frame elements, horizontal joints are modelled by vertical frame elements and vertical joints are modelled by horizontal plane truss elements. The calculated results are compatible with those given in the references.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.255-267
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• 2017

Soft clay strata can suffer significant settlement or stability problems under building loads. Among the methods proposed to strengthen weak soils is the application of a stone masonry trench (SMT) beneath RC strip foundations (as a masonry pad-stone). Although, SMTs are frequently employed in engineering practice; however, the effectiveness of SMTs on the ultimate bearing capacity improvement of a strip footing rested on a weak clay stratum has not been investigated quantitatively, yet. Therefore, the expected increase of bearing capacity of strip footings reinforced with SMTs is of interest and needs to be evaluated. This study presents a two-dimensional numerical model using the discrete element method (DEM) to capture the ultimate load-bearing capacity of a strip footing on a soft clay reinforced with a SMT. The developed DEM model was then used to perform a parametric study to investigate the effects of SMT geometry and properties on the footing bearing capacity with and without the presence of surcharge. The dimensions of the SMTs were varied to determine the optimum trench relative depth. The study showed that inclusion of a SMT of optimum dimension in a soft clay can improve the bearing capacity of a strip footing up to a factor of 3.5.

• 한국공간구조학회논문집
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.83-91
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• 2013

The core aim of this dissertation is to empirically scrutinize a strength characteristic of beam-column frame subjected to the cyclic lateral load, a beam-column frame of un-reinforced masonry wall, and a shear wall frame. First and foremost, I embark upon making three prototypes vis-$\grave{a}$-vis this research. By conducting this process, I touch on an analysis of cyclic behavior and a damage characteristic of the beam-column frame, the beam-column frame of un-reinforced masonry wall, and the shear wall frame. What is more, through the previous procedure, the next part delves into the exact stress transfer path and the destructive mechanism to examine how much and how strong the beam-column frame of un-reinforced Masonry Wall does have a resistance capacity against earthquake in all the architecture constructed by the above-mentioned frame, as well as school buildings. In addition to the three prototypes, two more experimental models, a beam-column frame and shear wall frame, are used to compare with the beam-column frame of un-reinforced masonry wall. Lastly, the dissertation will suggest some solutions to improve the resistance capacity against earthquake regarding all constructions built with non bearing wall following having examining precisely all the analysis with regard to not only behavior properties and the damage mechanism of the beam-column frame and the beam-column frame of un-reinforced Masonry Wall but also the resistance capacity against earthquake of non bearing wall and school buildings.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.195-204
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• 2017

The effects of plaster on the behavior of single-story single-bay masonry-infilled steel frames under in-plane base accelerations have been experimentally investigated by a shake-table. Tested structures were made in a 1/3 scale, with realistic material properties and construction methods. Steel frames with high and low flexural rigidity of beams and columns were considered. Each type of frame was tested with three variants of masonry: (i) non-plastered masonry; (ii) masonry infill with conventional plaster on both sides; and (iii) masonry infill with a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) net reinforced plaster on both sides. Masonry bricks were made of lightweight cellular concrete. Each frame was firstly successively exposed to horizontal base accelerations of an artificial accelerogram, and afterwards, to horizontal base accelerations of a real earthquake. Characteristic displacements, strains and cracks in the masonry were established for each applied excitation. It has been concluded that plaster strengthens the infill and prevents damages in it, which results in more favorable behavior and increased bearing capacity of plastered masonry-infilled frames compared to non-plastered masonry-infilled frames. The load-bearing contribution of the adopted PVC net in the plaster was not noticeable for the tested specimens, probably due to relative small cross section area of fibers in the net. Behavior of masonry-infilled steel frames significantly depends on frame stiffness. Strong frames have smaller displacements than weak frames, which reduces deformations and damages of an infill.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.13-21
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• 2022

Masonry constructions exhibit uncertain behaviors under dynamic effects such as seismic action. Complex issues arise in the idealization of structural systems of buildings having different material types and mechanical properties. In this study, the structural behavior of a vaulted masonry building constructed using full clay brick and lime-based mortar and sitting on consecutive arches was investigated by experimental and numerical approaches. The dimensions of the structure built in the laboratory were 391 × 196 cm, and its height was 234 cm. An incremental repetitive loading was applied to the prototype construction model. Along the gradually increasing loading pattern, the load-displacement curves of the masonry structure were obtained with the assistance of eight linear displacement transducers. In addition, crack formation areas, and relevant causes of its formation were determined. The experimental model was idealized using the finite element method, and numerical analyses were performed for the area considered as linear being under similar loading effect. From the linear analyses, the displacement values and stress distribution of the numerical model were obtained. In addition, the effects of tie members, frequently being used in the supports of curved load-bearing elements, on the structural behavior were examined. Consequently, the experimental and numerical analysis results were comparatively evaluated.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.149-160
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• 2023

Over the course of the last 4-5 years, India's northeastern region have widely used Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) blocks to construct load-bearing masonry structures. The aim of this investigation is to examine the shear characteristics of AAC masonry triplet assemblage strengthened by using two techniques, i.e., the bead joint (BJ) and the bed-head joint (BHJ) technique. Three unique variations of wire mesh were involved in the strengthening method. Furthermore, three strengthening configurations were used to strengthen each of the three wire mesh variations and the two-strengthening method, i.e. (-), L and (Z) configuration. The unreinforced and reinforced triplet masonry wallets were tested under direct shear test. From the results obtained, the 'BJ'triplet masonry wallets observed an enhanced in shear strength of about 2.23% to 23.33 % whereas the 'BHJ' triplet masonry wallets observed an enhanced in shear strength of about 22.92% to 50.69%. The "BHJ" strengthening method effectively enhance the shear strength of the triplet masonry wallets compared to the "BJ" and the "UR" wallets with an increase in capacity as the wire mesh strength increases. Furthermore, in terms of the strengthening configuration, the (Z) configuration performs better, followed by the (L) and (-) configuration demonstrating the strengthening configuration effectiveness.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.233-245
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• 2008

For historical masonry structures existing in the Mediterranean area, structural strengthening is of primary importance due to the continuous earthquake threat that is posed on them. Proper retrofitting of historical structures involves a thorough understanding of their structural pathology, before proceeding with any intervention measures. In this paper, a methodology is presented for the evaluation of the actual state of historical masonry structures, which can provide a useful tool for the seismic response assessment before and after the retrofitting. The methodology is mainly focused on the failure and vulnerability analysis of masonry structures using the finite element method. Using this methodology the retrofitting of historical structures with innovative techniques is investigated. The innovative technique presented here involves the exploitation of Shape Memory Alloy prestressed bars. This type of intervention is proposed because it ensures increased reversibility and minimization of interventions, in comparison with conventional retrofitting methods. In this paper, a case study is investigated for the demonstration of the proposed methodologies and techniques, which comprises a masonry Byzantine church and a masonry Cistern. Prestressed SMA alloy bars are placed into the load-bearing system of the structure. The seismic response of the non-retrofitted and the retrofitted finite element models are compared in terms of seismic energy dissipation and displacements diminution.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제6권6호
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• pp.689-713
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• 2014

The seismic vulnerability of stone masonry buildings is studied on the basis of their fragility curves. In order to account for out-of-plane failure modes, normally disregarded in past studies, linear static Finite Element analysis in 3D of prototype regular buildings is performed using a nonlinear biaxial failure criterion for masonry. More than 1100 analyses are carried out, so as to cover the practical range of the most important parameters, namely the number of storeys, percentage of side length in exterior walls taken up by openings, wall thickness, plan dimensions and number of interior walls, type of floor and pier height-to-length ratio. Results are presented in the form of damage and fragility curves. The fragility curves correspond well to the damage observed in masonry buildings after strong earthquakes and are in good agreement with other fragility curves in the literature. They confirm what is already known, namely that buildings with stiff floors or higher percentage of load-bearing walls are less vulnerable, and that large openings, taller storeys, larger number of storeys, higher wall slenderness and higher ratio of clear height to horizontal length of walls increase the vulnerability, but show also by how much.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.123-137
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• 2012

Steel plate-masonry composite structure is a newly-developed type of structural technique applicable to existing masonry buildings by which the load-bearing walls can be removed for large spaces. This kind of structure has been used in practice for its several advantages, but experimental investigation on its elements is nearly unavailable in existing literature. This paper presents an experimental study on the flexural behaviour of four steel plate-masonry composite beams loaded by four-point bending. Test results indicate that failure of the tested beams always starts from the local buckling of steel plate, and that the tested beams can satisfy the requirement of service limit state. In addition, the assumption of plane section is still remained for steel plate prior to local buckling or steel yielding. By comparative analyses, it was also verified that the working performance of the beam is influenced by the cross-section of steel plate, which can be efficiently enhanced by epoxy adhesive rather than cement mortar or nothing at all. Besides, it was also found that the contribution of the encased masonry to the flexural capacity of the composite beam cannot be ignored when the beam is injected with epoxy adhesive.