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Modeling and Testing the Performance of Masonry Structures
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Modeling and Testing the Performance of Masonry Structures

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Structures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 1239

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nicola Longarini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: building structural analysis; structural dynamics; construction engineering; construction; seismic engineering; finite element analysis; concrete technologies; construction materials; civil engineering materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Pietro Giuseppe Crespi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano, Italy
Interests: earthquake engineering; existing structures; masonry structures; bridges; retrofitting interventions; steel anchors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Masonry structures constitute many important historical buildings, existent bridges, and industrial constructions all over the world. Different typologies of masonry - mainly bricks or stones – are present in constructions with cultural, artistic, and monumental role. These kinds of constructions are in areas only nowadays classified as seismic ones. Therefore, structural improving under seismic actions represents a strategic goal but it requires important issues. The first one is the definition of the masonry’s properties under several points of view as the geometry, the mechanical properties, construction’s details and the boundary conditions. Therefore, appropriate surveys and tests are mandatory. Starting by the knowledge of every masonry elements, the second issue is represented by numerical approaches and mathematical models (considering nonlinear behavior) for reproduce masonry’s behavior and the seismic response in the most truthful manner. Different numerical approaches and constitutive laws could be considered for detecting the most appropriate retrofitting techniques.  The present Special issue is aimed to the following topics, including but not limited:

-Static and dynamic tests on masonry elements;

-Non-destructive testing techniques;

-Advanced theoretical and numerical models;

-Constitutive laws for masonry

-Mathematical models for the plasticity in masonry elements;

-Techniques to improve to the seismic response of masonry constructions;

-Smart bricks for strain monitoring.

Dr. Nicola Longarini
Dr. Pietro Giuseppe Crespi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • masonry structures
  • laboratory and in-situ tests
  • numerical modelling
  • non-linear behavior of masonry
  • seismic response of masonry structures
  • historical masonry buildings
  • smart bricks
  • retrofitting techniques for masonry structures

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

32 pages, 7045 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Reinforcement Methods for Brick Masonry Walls: An Experimental and Finite Element Analysis Approach
by Tahir Mehmood, Muhammad Amer Abid, Burachat Chatveera, Gritsada Sua-Iam, Panumas Saingam, Ali Ejaz, Qudeer Hussain, Panuwat Joyklad and Suniti Suparp
Buildings 2025, 15(13), 2180; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15132180 - 22 Jun 2025
Viewed by 274
Abstract
This study investigates the enhancement of axial and shear strength in brick masonry walls reinforced with steel and fiberglass meshes. The novelty of this study lies in its thorough evaluation of various reinforcement types and their influence on both axial and shear strength, [...] Read more.
This study investigates the enhancement of axial and shear strength in brick masonry walls reinforced with steel and fiberglass meshes. The novelty of this study lies in its thorough evaluation of various reinforcement types and their influence on both axial and shear strength, offering valuable insights to enhance the performance of brick masonry structures. By using steel and fiberglass meshes for reinforcement, the study promotes the use of durable materials that can extend the lifespan of brick masonry structures, reducing the need for frequent repairs and replacements. The findings reveal that double-layer steel mesh delivers the highest strength, effectively reducing brittleness and improving deformation capacity in both single- and double-brick walls. Specifically, single-brick walls exhibited increases in compressive strength of 38.8% with single-layer steel mesh, 31.2% with fiberglass mesh, and 19.7% with plaster. In contrast, double-brick walls showed enhancements of 73.6% with double-layer steel mesh and 43.5% with fiberglass mesh. For shear strength, single-brick walls improved by 115.1% with single-layer steel mesh, 91.3% with fiberglass mesh, and 42.1% with plaster, while double-brick walls experienced increases of 162.7% with double-layer steel mesh and 132.5% with fiberglass mesh. Additionally, Abaqus modeling under axial and diagonal compression closely matched experimental results, revealing less than a 10% discrepancy across all reinforcement types. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Testing the Performance of Masonry Structures)
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26 pages, 7671 KiB  
Article
Assessing Wall Tie Deterioration in Masonry Veneer Wall Through Vibration-Based Damage Identification Methods
by Chee Yin Lam, Mark Masia, Igor Chaves, Md Akhtar Hossain and John Vazey
Buildings 2025, 15(8), 1226; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15081226 - 9 Apr 2025
Viewed by 439
Abstract
Experimental modal analysis has proven effective in damage identification of civil structures but has not been extensively applied to multi-leaf masonry structures, particularly in the context of wall tie inspection. This paper investigates the applicability of non-destructive, vibration-based damage identification methods to a [...] Read more.
Experimental modal analysis has proven effective in damage identification of civil structures but has not been extensively applied to multi-leaf masonry structures, particularly in the context of wall tie inspection. This paper investigates the applicability of non-destructive, vibration-based damage identification methods to a one-storey masonry veneer wall to detect wall tie deterioration based on changes in modal parameters. An impact hammer was used to collect vibration data from eight different wall tie deterioration test cases by disconnecting the wall ties at various locations. The downshift of natural frequencies was recorded for all deterioration test cases, and a reduction of up to 38% was observed when the top row of wall ties was disconnected, highlighting the importance of wall ties to the overall stiffness of the masonry veneer wall system. In terms of damage localisation accuracy, the parameter-based method performed the best by successfully identifying seven out of eight damaged scenarios without additional noise. The findings show that the detection of wall tie deterioration using non-destructive, vibration-based damage identification methods is viable, providing an alternative wall tie inspection method with significant benefits to infrastructure management, thereby enhancing safety, efficiency, and sustainability in maintaining and preserving masonry veneer walls. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Testing the Performance of Masonry Structures)
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