In-plane seismic response of brick masonry walls

The paper addresses the problems of evaluation of strength, deformability, and energy dissipation capacity of unreinforced brick masonry walls, within the context of seismic assessment of existing buildings. Possible approaches to simplified strength evaluation are discussed on the basis of experimental and numerical data, and formulae for assessment are presented. The role of the shear ratio in the shear failure mechanisms is put in evidence and shear strength formulae are proposed accordingly. The most significative parameters regarding deformability under cyclic loading are highlighted and energy dissipation due to hysteretic behaviour is quantified for possible use in dynamic models. Experimental results show how ultimate drift seems to be a parameter with high regularity for walls failing in shear. Based on such result, a possible approach for seismic assessment is outlined. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.