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Seismic Assessment of Unreinforced Masonry Buildings
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Seismic Assessment of Unreinforced Masonry Buildings

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 3142

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Omar AlShawa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00184 Rome, Italy
Interests: earthquake engineering; structural dynamics; unreinforced masonry structures; out-of-plane mechanisms; non-linear modelling; finite element analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Stefania Degli Abbati

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering (DICCA), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
Interests: unreinforced masonry buildings; seismic assessment; local mechanisms; nonlinear modelling; floor response spectra
Dr. Giacomo Destro Bisol

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
Interests: earthquake engineering; masonry structures; out-of-plane mechanisms; structural dynamics; rocking dynamics; base isolation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent earthquakes have highlighted the vulnerability of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings, which constitute a significant portion of our cultural heritage constructions. The seismic assessment of URM structures has proven challenging, as they may employ both in-plane and out-of-plane mechanisms. To address this critical issue, various modelling approaches have been developed over the recent decades to assess their seismic response, predict the potential collapse mechanisms, and design non-invasive and effective strengthening interventions.

This Special Issue of Buildings aims to gather diverse studies exploring the methodologies and tools for evaluating the seismic response of existing masonry buildings. We welcome contributions covering different computational modelling techniques, analysis approaches, experimental investigations, and case studies focusing on the seismic assessment of both ordinary and monumental URM structures. The submissions may also address restoration activities and traditional or more innovative rehabilitation and strengthening techniques.

Dr. Omar AlShawa
Dr. Stefania Degli Abbati
Dr. Giacomo Destro Bisol
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
  • seismic assessment
  • monumental buildings
  • aggregate buildings
  • modelling strategies
  • out-of-plane and/or in-plane response
  • nonlinear analyses
  • strengthening and retrofitting solutions
  • case studies
  • experimental tests

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 5275 KiB  
Article
Quasi-Static Testing of Unreinforced Masonry Walls Using Different Styles of Basalt Fiber Mortar Surface Reinforcements
by Yize Wang, Bixiong Li, Qingshun Nong and Xing Liu
Buildings 2025, 15(7), 1074; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15071074 - 26 Mar 2025
Viewed by 170
Abstract
To investigate the reinforcement effects of different reinforcement methods including basalt fibers on unreinforced masonry walls (UMWs), this study examined three reinforcement methods: ordinary mortar, basalt fiber mortar, and basalt fiber mesh mortar. Three masonry wall specimens were designed: ordinary mortar surface-strengthened masonry [...] Read more.
To investigate the reinforcement effects of different reinforcement methods including basalt fibers on unreinforced masonry walls (UMWs), this study examined three reinforcement methods: ordinary mortar, basalt fiber mortar, and basalt fiber mesh mortar. Three masonry wall specimens were designed: ordinary mortar surface-strengthened masonry wall (O-MW), basalt fiber mortar surface-strengthened masonry wall (BF-MW), and basalt fiber mesh mortar surface-strengthened masonry wall (BFM-MW). Quasi-static tests were conducted to analyze the failure phenomena, hysteresis curves, backbone curves, energy dissipation capacity, and stiffness degradation. The results show that, compared to O-MW, BF-MW exhibited a 10.3%, 1.5%, and 28.1% increase in cracking load, peak load, and energy dissipation capacity, respectively. Meanwhile, BFM-MW showed more pronounced improvements, with cracking load and peak load increasing by 41.6% and 3.9%, respectively, and initial stiffness rising by 32.8%. However, this method shifted the failure mode of masonry walls from flexural failure to shear failure. Both basalt fiber mortar reinforcement methods outperformed ordinary mortar, each demonstrating distinct characteristics that can be selected based on practical application requirements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seismic Assessment of Unreinforced Masonry Buildings)
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30 pages, 5801 KiB  
Article
Investigating Scale Effects on Experimental Shear Strength of Earthen Walls (Adobe and Rammed-Earth)
by Daniel M. Ruiz, Juan C. Reyes, Yezid A. Alvarado, Hermes Vacca, Nicola Tarque and Sandra Jerez
Buildings 2025, 15(5), 689; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15050689 - 22 Feb 2025
Viewed by 596
Abstract
This study investigates the scale effects on the experimental shear strength of earthen walls, a critical parameter influencing the seismic performance of adobe and rammed-earth (RE) buildings. Recognized for their historical significance and sustainable construction practices, earthen structures require a comprehensive understanding of [...] Read more.
This study investigates the scale effects on the experimental shear strength of earthen walls, a critical parameter influencing the seismic performance of adobe and rammed-earth (RE) buildings. Recognized for their historical significance and sustainable construction practices, earthen structures require a comprehensive understanding of their mechanical behavior under shear loads to ensure effective design and preservation. This research compiles data from over 120 in-plane shear wall tests (adobe and RE), nearly 20 direct shear tests from the scientific and technical literature, and new cyclic direct shear tests performed on large cubic specimens (300 mm side length) made from the same material as a previously tested two-story RE wall. Based on the findings, this study recommends a minimum specimen cross-sectional area of 0.5 m2 for reliable shear strength testing of earthen walls in structural laboratories. This recommendation aims to prevent the unconservative overestimation of shear strength commonly observed in smaller specimens, including direct shear tests. Furthermore, the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion outlined in the AIS-610 Colombian standard is validated as a conservative lower bound for all compiled shear strength data. Cyclic direct shear tests on nine 300 mm cubic specimens produced a Mohr–Coulomb envelope with an apparent cohesion of 0.0715 MPa and a slope of 0.66, whereas the full-scale two-story wall (5.95 × 6.20 × 0.65 m) constructed with the same material exhibited a much lower cohesion of 0.0139 MPa and a slope of 0.26. The analysis reveals significant scale effects, as small-scale specimens consistently overestimate shear strength due to their inability to capture macro-structural behaviors such as compaction layer interactions, construction joint weaknesses, and stress redistributions. Based on the analysis of the compiled data, the novelty of this study lies in defining a strength reduction factor for direct shear tests (3.4–3.8 for rammed earth, ~3.0 for adobe) to align with full-scale wall behavior, as well as establishing a minimum specimen size (≥0.5 m2) for reliable in-plane shear testing of earthen walls, ensuring accurate structural assessments of shear strength. This study provides a first approach to the shear behavior of unstabilized earth. To expand its application, future research should explore how the scale of specimens with different stabilizers affects their shear strength. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seismic Assessment of Unreinforced Masonry Buildings)
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21 pages, 9356 KiB  
Article
Seismic Assessment of Existing Masonry Buildings Using Damage Mechanics
by Miguel Gonçalves, Madalena Ponte and Rita Bento
Buildings 2024, 14(8), 2395; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14082395 - 2 Aug 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1750
Abstract
This paper presents research concerning the numerical simulation of existing masonry buildings when subjected to pushover analysis. A nonlinear static analysis is undertaken using the commercial software ABAQUS standard, in which masonry structures are modelled using damage mechanics. To validate the chosen input [...] Read more.
This paper presents research concerning the numerical simulation of existing masonry buildings when subjected to pushover analysis. A nonlinear static analysis is undertaken using the commercial software ABAQUS standard, in which masonry structures are modelled using damage mechanics. To validate the chosen input parameters, this study compares two different approaches for static nonlinear modelling, the Finite Element Method (FEM) and the Equivalent Frame Method (EFM), for a simple masonry building. The two methods are compared using the guidelines from Part 3 of Eurocode 8. This study identifies the advantages and disadvantages of various modelling approaches based on the results obtained. The results are also compared in terms of capacity curves and damage distributions for the simple case study of a masonry building created to compare numerical methods. Subsequently, nonlinear pushover analyses with ABAQUS (FEM) were performed on the North Tower of Monserrate Palace, Portugal, in which the material parameters were calibrated by considering the results of dynamic characterisation tests conducted in-situ. Regarding the circular body of Monserrate Palace, the damage distribution of the structure is analysed in detail, aiming to contribute to the modelling of such structural configurations through the Equivalent Frame Method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seismic Assessment of Unreinforced Masonry Buildings)
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