Abstract

The paper presents a seismic safety assessment of unreinforced masonry (URM) building using two approaches. The first approach uses the ‘Pier Analysis’ method, based on the concept of equivalent lateral stiffness, where in-plane and out-of-plane actions are considered independently. The second approach is developed with the program SAP2000, where the linear response is evaluated using continuum ‘finite element modelling’ (FEM). Both methods are compared to evaluate the safety of wall piers and the differences in the outcomes under combined gravitational and lateral seismic forces. The analysis results showed that few wall elements are unsafe in in-plane and out-of-plane tension. It is also observed that the pier analysis method is conservative compared to FEM, but can be used as a simplified and quick tool in design offices for safety assessment, with reasonable accuracy. To safeguard the URM wall piers under lateral loads, a retrofitting technique is adopted by providing vertical and horizontal belts called splints and bandages, respectively, using welded wire mesh (WWM) reinforcement. The study using the ‘Pier Analysis’ shows that the lateral load capacity of unsafe URM piers can be enhanced up to 3.67 times and made safe using the applied retrofitting technique. Further, the retrofitting design methodology and recommendations for application procedures to on-site URM buildings are discussed in detail.

Abstract

Estimation of basic material properties of masonry and understanding its compressive behaviour is the initial crucial steps in analyzing the performance of masonry buildings. Masonry being a complex and inelastic material has a large variation in mechanical properties such as compressive strength and modulus of elasticity. The variation for Indian masonry is even higher, as most of the manufacturing and construction process is performed manually. Mechanical characterization of solid clay bricks, mortar cubes (1:4 cement-sand proportion) and masonry prisms are performed using laboratory tests to determine the compressive properties. The non-linear stress strain behaviour of masonry and its constituents is also presented. Based on the results of the present study and past literature, variation in mechanical properties of Indian masonry & its constituents is studied based on two different mortar grades (1:4 and 1:6). It is observed that these properties have a large portion of aleatory variability, due to variations in constituent materials and workmanship. The relationship between the compressive strength and elastic modulus of brick, mortar and masonry is also presented. Further, the relative performance of different empirical models in predicting the properties of masonry is compared and their efficacy is examined using the statistical and error-assessment parameters. Results showed that the compressive strength of the Indian masonry can be determined using most of the empirical relations available worldwide, with reasonable accuracy; however, the elastic modulus of masonry cannot be estimated with the same level of confidence.