Numerical Simulation of Unreinforced Masonry Walls Subject to Dynamic Out-Of-Plane Loading

Abstract eng:
Out-of-plane failure is a very common failure mode of unreinforced masonry walls. After earthquake events in Germany (Albstadt 1978, Roermond 1992) damage due to out-ofplane loading was one of the main problems observed. Especially the failure of infill walls and gables was dominated by out-of-plane instability. Since these walls have a relatively low vertical load level, the out-of-plane stability is mainly governed by the slenderness, the thickness of the wall and the bending stiffness parallel and orthogonal to the bed joints, which depend on the bending stiffness of the masonry units, the mortar used, the interconnection between the units as well as the unit geometry and the connection to adjacent constructional elements. In general, current codes only provide limit values for the wall slenderness that are based on experimental results and engineering experience, and simple design concepts based on traditional, force-based design procedures. However, recent research has shown, that masonry walls subject to dynamic out-of-plane loading have deformation reserves exceeding the deformation capacity calculated using traditional, force-based design. In order to further investigate the deformation capability of dynamically out-of-plane loaded unreinforced masonry walls, a detailed 3D numerical model on the meso-scale has been developed using the FE toolkit ABAQUS. The model is able to reproduce typical failure modes of single wall panels with different boundary conditions and varying vertical load levels. It is used to investigate and classify the different influence parameters. The results shall be used to define new and refine existing constructional rules. Also, a simplified concept for a dynamic stability check shall be derived. The paper gives an overview of the current state of the research. It addresses typical problems that arise in the development of numerical models for out-of-plane loaded masonry walls for seismic loading. The numerical model and the results from static and dynamic calculations are presented and - where possible - compared to experimental data.

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