Testing of An Existing Two Story Masonry Building Under Lateral Loads

Abstract eng:
Masonry structures constitute a significant portion of the building stock in many countries with high seismic regions. Understanding the load carrying mechanisms of such buildings and estimating the deformation capacities is important for seismic risk mitigation. In the process of developing new assessment guidelines for Turkey, a comprehensive research project was conducted in order to estimate the expected seismic performance of existing masonry buildings. Within the scope of this extensive research program, an existing two-story masonry building was tested under lateral cyclic loads on site. A seven meter high steel reaction frame capable of resisting 3000kN base shear force was constructed next to the test building. Afterwards, hydraulic actuators attached to the reaction frame were employed to impose one way cyclic displacement excursions. Flexural and shear deformations on a number of walls were measured and crack prorogations were monitored. The structure was tested up to a lateral strength drop of approximately twenty percent from the ultimate load, which occurred at a drift ratio of about 1.2%. The damage in the walls in the building, which were mostly diagonal tension, concentrated mostly in the second story. In addition, sliding shear failure between the second floor slab and walls are observed.

• Export as: BibTeX | MARC | MARCXML | DC | EndNote | NLM | RefWorks
• Add to your basket