Development of numerical procedures for analysis of un-reinforced load-bearing masonry buildings

Investigators

Dr Yuri Totoev
Emeritus Professor Adrian Page
Mr Goran Simundic
► Other post-docs and PhD students

Project Description

A typical load-bearing masonry building is composed of masonry walls and concrete floor diaphragms (Figure 1a), with the masonry walls supporting the slabs and acting as the main structural element resisting the lateral loads. In Australia, these buildings incorporate slip joints, which are placed between the walls and floor slabs (Figure 1b), to allow for long term differential movements between the walls and the slabs. This form of construction creates a challenge for earthquake and wind design, as clear load paths need to be established for lateral forces despite the limited shear capacity of the slip joints whose design has been governed by serviceability requirements.

This project has several strands

  • Experimental study of the mechanical properties of masonry constituents and masonry as a composite material;
  • Experimental study of the behaviour of slip joints, wall ties and other typical details of masonry buildings;
  • Numerical modeling of masonry as a nonlinear and anisotropic material exhibiting softening behaviour, and slip in the slip joints;
  • Numerical simulations of masonry buildings' response to wind and earthquake loads;
  • Development of simplified design procedures for loadbearing masonry buildings.