Investigation on the strength of spandrels in masonry façades
The study of the lateral strength of masonry façades and general walls with openings is of utmost importance for the verification of the seismic capacity of masonry buildings. Significant research effort has been recently devoted to the characterization of the seismic performance of this type of str...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis de maestría |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2017 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/116033 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/116033 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Seismology Structural design Sismologia Disseny d'estructures Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil |
| Sumario: | The study of the lateral strength of masonry façades and general walls with openings is of utmost importance for the verification of the seismic capacity of masonry buildings. Significant research effort has been recently devoted to the characterization of the seismic performance of this type of structures by means of both experimental and numerical techniques. A critical aspect which, to large extent, determines the lateral capacity of masonry façades and walls with openings is found in the shear capacity of the structural members involved and, in specific, that of the spandrel walls situated over or below openings and between the masonry piers. The shear capacity of masonry spandrels has been analyzed according to different approaches. Different researchers have proposed analytical equations and simple failure criteria for the estimation of their shear capacity. The seismic performance of spandrels has been analyzed also by means of numerical methods encompassing different levels of complexity, such as micro-models, macro-models and the equivalent frame method. This thesis contains a detailed investigation of the state of the art regarding the seismic performance of masonry façades concentrated in the in plane behavior of spandrels. This investigation is including the observations from past earthquakes and experimental cases, as well as numerical and simplified analytical approaches which aim to characterize the behavior of the spandrel component subjected to lateral loads. Based on the conclusions from the state of the art review, an appropriate numerical model is developed based on the Finite Element macromodelling approach. The adopted model is calibrated using a previous experimental campaign as a benchmark problem. A detailed parametric study is executed in order to investigate the influence of several parameters such as the masonry mechanical properties and the interaction between timber lintel and masonry. Once the model is calibrated it is applied to a new test to estimate its expected behavior. In addition, a simplified micromodel is adopted in the process of obtaining a more explicit solution. A limited parametric analysis is revealing the influence of properties that are difficult to be defined experimentally such as the interface parameters between unit and mortar. The results from the numerical approaches are revealing the possibilities and drawbacks of the Finite Element method to the simulation and assessment of unreinforced masonry façades subjected to in plane lateral loads. Finally the conclusions derived from the results of this thesis are discussed and ideas for further work are proposed. |
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