Wire-Mesh and Mortar Confined Masonry as Seismic Resistant System for Houses Up To Two Stories

Abstract eng:
This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a wire mesh and mortar confined masonry system in resisting earthquake loading for the specific case of one and two story houses. A full-scale prototype was tested at the Housing Research Centre Structural Laboratory of the National Polytechnic School in Quito, Ecuador. The prototype used for the investigation was two story height (h=4.50 m) and approximately in plane 3.7 m by 2.50 m. It included a door and windows, as in a real house. To form the structural system, a 3 cm thick mortar layer (f´c=10 MPa) reinforced with the thinnest wire mesh available in the market (φ3.5 mm @ 150x150 mm), was placed only in the inner face of the walls. In addition, the masonry used in the experiment was built following an artisan process to reassemble typical informal construction conditions. The reinforcement was placed only in the inner face, which represents the extreme case condition to be tested. The prototype proved to be highly effective resisting a lateral force equivalent to the full self-weight, that is V=100%W with R=1, and yet the capacity of the system was not reached. Considering that 70% of Ecuadorian construction of 1-3 story buildings has been made without the assistance of a structural engineer and that Ecuador is located in a high seismic risk area, this proposed system provides an effective solution to improve the seismic performance of both new and existing informal construction for housing programs up to two stories.

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