• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.531-536
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• 2001

URM buildings have been damaged seriously during earthquake since they were not designed to resist lateral loads. It has led to the importance of studying the behavior and capacity for URM building. The objective of this study is to evaluate seismic performance of URM (Unreinforced Masonry) building. For this purpose, this paper discuss the response of 2 story reduced-scale building subjected to earthquake motion and compare them using existing guidelines to provide improved knowledge for URM building.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.223-236
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• 2017

Seismic assessment and rehabilitation of Monumental Buildings constitute an important issue in many regions around the world to preserve cultural heritage. On the contrary, many recent earthquakes have demonstrated the high vulnerability of this type of structures. The high nonlinear masonry behaviour requires ad hoc refined finite element numerical models, whose complexity and computational costs are generally unsuitable for practical applications. For these reasons, several authors proposed simplified numerical strategies to be used in engineering practice. However, most of these alternative methods are oversimplified being based on the assumption of in-plane behaviour of masonry walls. Moreover, they cannot be used for modelling the monumental structures for which the interaction between plane and out-plane behaviour governs the structural response. Recently, an innovative discrete-modelling approach for the simulation of both in-plane and out of-plane response of masonry structures was proposed and applied to study several typologies of historic structures. In this paper the latter model is applied with reference to a real case study, and numerically compared with an advanced finite element modelling. The method is applied to the St.Venerio church in Reggiolo (Italy), damaged during the 2012 Emilia-Romagna earthquake and numerically investigated in the literature.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.13 no.2
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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.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2019.11a
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• pp.180-181
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• 2019

South Korea has long been without major earthquakes. But 317 public facilities have been damaged by Po-Hang earthquake. Among them, 103 educational facilities suffered 25.6 billion won worth of damage. This is the most damaging of public facilities. The earthquake damage was mainly centered on non-seismic retrofit educational facilities and masonry architectural wall systems installed on the outer walls of buildings. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a filling material that can be applied to the non-seismic retrofit of masonry architectural wall systems installed on the outer walls of educational facilities. To achieve the objective, first, set the filling material requirements. Second, set the sequence model of experiments and prepare for the experiment. Third, after the experiment, analyze the results obtained through the experiment. Forth, the optimal filling material is selected by comparing the analyzed results with the requirements. As a results, E-S-X sample using epoxy resin were selected for the seismic retrofit of masonry architectural wall systems in educational facilities. In the future, this study can be used as a basic material for developing seismic reinforcement methods guidelines in domestic existing educational facilities.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.87 no.5
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• pp.487-498
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• 2023

Unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings are extensively adopted in many of the growing nations, particularly in India. Window or door openings are required for architectural or functional reasons, which pose a threat to the building's safety. The past earthquakes have shown that the seismic capability of these structures was very weak. Strengthening these unreinforced masonry walls using welded wire mesh (WWM) is one of the most commonly and economical methods. The present experimental study investigates the impact of openings on the shear behaviour of URM walls and the effectiveness of WWM in enhancing the shear performance of masonry wall. In the experimental program 16 specimens were cast, 8 unstrengthen and 8 strengthened specimens, under 8 unstrengthen and strengthened specimens, every 2 specimens had 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% openings and all these walls were tested under diagonal compression. The results show that the shear carrying capacity reduces as the opening percentage increases. However, strengthening the URM specimens using WWM significantly improves the peak load, shear strength, ductility, stiffness, and energy dissipation. Furthermore, the strengthening of the URM walls using WWM compensated the loss of wall capacity caused by the presence of the openings.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.393-404
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• 2023

This paper presents the application of hybrid-simulation-based adapter elements for the non-linear two-scale analysis of reinforced concrete frames with masonry infills under seismic-like demands. The approach provides communication and distribution of the computations carried out by two or more remote or locally distributed numerical models connected through the OpenFresco Framework. The modeling consists of a global analysis formed by macro-elements to represent frames and walls, and to reduce global degrees of freedom, portions of the structure that require advanced analysis are substituted by experimental elements and dimensional couplings acting as interfaces with their respective sub-assemblies. The local sub-assemblies are modeled by solid finite elements where the non-linear behavior of concrete matrix and masonry infill adopt a continuum damage representation and the reinforcement steel a discrete one, the conditions at interfaces between concrete and masonry are considered through a contact model. The methodology is illustrated through the analysis of a frame-wall system subjected to lateral loads comparing the results of using macro-elements, finite element model and experimental observations. Finally, to further assess and validate the methodology proposed, the paper presents the pushover analysis of two more complex structures applying both modeling scales to obtain their corresponding capacity curves.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.117-132
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• 2023

The most prevalent and oldest type of structure is unreinforced masonry (URM) structures; URM walls are still a widely used construction material in India and many other developing countries due to their simplicity, ease of construction, economic sustainability, and ability to be built with locally available materials. URM walls are significantly weak while carrying lateral loads. The poor performance of URM walls during earthquakes has necessitated investigating an effective method for strengthening a newly built masonry building or retrofitting an old structure. Wire mesh, being cost-effective and easily available, satisfies the requirements to strengthen new and old URM buildings. The use of wire mesh to strengthen and retrofit the URM structure is simple to use, quick to construct, and inexpensive, especially in developing nations where heavy machinery and highly qualified labour are lacking. The current paper reviews the effectiveness of steel wire mesh as a reinforcing material for enhancing masonry strength. The finding gave encouraging results for the field application of wire mesh.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.277-283
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• 2016

Unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings are known to be highly vulnerable to seismic loadings. Although significant physical variation may exist for URM buildings that fall into a same structural category, a single set of fragility curves is typically used as a representation of the seismic vulnerability of the URM structures. This study investigates the effect of physical variation of URM structures on their seismic performance level. Variables that describe the physical variation of the structure are defined based on the inventory analysis. Seismic behavior of the structures is then monitored by changing the variables to investigate the effect of each variable. The analysis results show that among the variables considered the seismic performance of URM building depends on the variation of the width, the aspect ratio, and the number of story. The need for further research on the modeling of the connections between the walls and diaphragms and the torsional effect is also addressed.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2023

Reinforced concrete (RC) moment frames are used as lateral seismic load resisting systems in mid- and high-rise buildings in different regions of the world. Based on the seismic design provisions and construction details presented in design codes, RC frames with different levels of ductility (ordinary, intermediate, and special) can be designed and constructed. In Iran, there are RC buildings with various uses which have been constructed based on different editions of design codes. The seismic performance of RC structures (particularly moment frames) in real seismic events is of great importance. In this paper, the observations made on damaged RC moment frames after the destructive Sarpol-e Zahab earthquake with a moment magnitude of 7.3 are reported. Different levels of damage from the development of cracks in the structural and non-structural elements to the total collapse of buildings were observed. Furthermore, undesirable failure modes which are not expected in ductile seismic-resistant buildings were frequently observed in the damaged buildings. The RC moment frames built based on the previous editions of the design codes showed partial or total collapse in this seismic event. The extensive destruction of RC moment frames compared with the other structural systems (such as braced steel frames and confined masonry buildings) was attributed not only to the deficiencies in the construction practice of these buildings but also to the design procedure. In addition, the failure and collapse of masonry infills in RC moment frames were frequent modes of failure in this seismic event. In this paper, the main reasons related to design practice which led to extensive damage in the RC moment frames and their collapse are addressed.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2022

Debates on what is the first skyscraper have been ongoing from time to time since the construction of the Home Insurance Building in Chicago in 1885, which is generally recognized as the first built skyscraper. This paper attempts to verify this assertion through a detailed investigation after identifying the criteria that characterize a skyscraper. By considering and examining several competing buildings for the title of "first skyscraper" in terms of their levels of satisfying these criteria, the paper reconfirms that the Home Insurance Building in Chicago indeed qualifies as the first skyscraper and is the harbinger of future skyscrapers. By introducing technological and associated architectural innovations in this pioneering building, its designer William Le Baron Jenney paved the way for the construction of future skyscrapers. In traditional construction, heavy masonry walls especially at lower levels did not allow large window openings in exterior walls that would permit ample daylight. For the Home Insurance Building, originally built with 10 stories, Jenney created a metal-framed skeletal structure that carried the building's loads, making the building lighter and allowed for large windows permitting ample natural light to the building's interior. The exterior iron columns were encased in relatively small masonry piers mainly for fireproofing, weather-protection and façade aesthetics. Relying on the structural framing on the building's perimeter, the exterior masonry thus turned into a rudimentary "curtain wall" system, heralding the use of curtain wall construction in future skyscrapers. This building's innovative structural system led to what is known as the "Chicago Skeleton," and eventually produced remarkable skyscrapers all over the world.