This study investigates the relationship between the compressive strength of two-course masonry specimens and three-course masonry specimens extracted from previously constructed walls, to correlate the execution control specimens with the retest spe...
Masonry structures are complex systems that require detailed knowledge and information regarding their response under seismic excitations. Appropriate modelling of a masonry structure is a prerequisite for a reliable earthquake-resistant design and/o...
Structural health monitoring (SHM) is essential for preserving historical and modern infrastructure by tracking dynamic properties such as frequencies and mode shapes. Changes in these properties can indicate structural damage, but environmental fact...
A reliable numerical evaluation of the nonlinear behaviour of historical masonry structures, before and after a seismic retrofitting, is a fundamental issue in the design of the structural retrofitting. Many strengthening techniques have been introdu...
This research investigates the nonlinear behavior of scaled infilled masonry (IFM), confined masonry (CM), and reinforced concrete (RC) structures by utilizing and validating two tests from the literature as benchmarks. The validation was based on a...
Titanium has exceptional durability, very high specific strength, a thermal expansion coefficient similar to construction materials, low weight density, and its cost has drastically decreased over the last decades. One of the main requirements in con...
The development of alternative environmentally friendly and sustainable materials in the construction industry has become a fundamental area of research. The current cementitious materials used in existing retrofitting techniques for masonry structur...
A methodology aiming to predict the vulnerability of masonry structures under seismic action is presented herein. Masonry structures, among which many are cultural heritage assets, present high vulnerability under earthquake. Reliable simulations of...
Current regulatory principles focus on resistance and durability to ensure long-term robustness while optimizing sections to maximize efficiency and minimize material use, thus enhancing sustainability and reducing environmental impact. Historical ce...
The practice of the assessment of the safety of existing masonry structures is related to the safety of people’s lives and property. However, the current assessment method, described in “GB50292-2015 Standard for appraisal of reliability...
The subject of this article is material research carried out on the ruins of a medieval castle located in west-central Poland. This facility was built at the beginning of the 15th century by the Order of St. John, and during its long life, it was sub...
In this study, a fragility analysis of masonry structures is conducted using a random sequential ground motion model. Initially, the relationship between a mainshock and its aftershocks is clarified based on the physical mechanism of “source-pa...
Debris flow is a very destructive natural disaster. This paper presents a novel masonry structure with strong resistance to debris flow—by using walls that are set with braces and filled with straw bricks. This structure was designed according to the...
The assessment of seismic performance of existing masonry structures is a key aspect for the risk mitigation strategies of existing buildings and preservation of historical heritage. The increasing availability of modelling approaches for the assessm...
In order to enhance the seismic performance of existing masonry structures and optimize the thickness of the strengthening layer, ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) can be used as an enhancement material. Based on current concrete strengthening m...
Although the principal aim of the rockfall management is to prevent rock boulders from reaching the buildings instead of the buildings resisting the boulder impacts, there usually exists a residual risk that has to be assessed, even when structural p...
The paper presents a proposed framework to optimize the tuned mass damper (TMD) design, useful for seismic improvement of slender masonry structures. A historical masonry chimney located in northern Italy was considered to illustrate the proposed TMD...
The paper reviews some recent numerical applications for the interpretation and exploitation of acoustic emission (AE) monitoring results obtained from historical masonry structures and materials. Among possible numerical techniques, the finite eleme...
In seismic areas, masonry construction is prone to brittle failures due to the mechanical behavior of the constituent materials and to the low capacity of force redistributions. The redistribution capacity is mainly due to the presence of horizontal...
Masonry structures are notoriously vulnerable to horizontal actions caused by earthquakes. Given the high seismicity of the European region, and that the European building stock comprises a lot of masonry buildings, knowledge about their structural r...
Steel buildings often experience failure at the interfaces between their vertical exterior enclosure systems (VEESs) and structural elements. This phenomenon generates various pathological manifestations in steel buildings, resulting in the precociou...
Slender masonry structures, in the absence of disintegration phenomena, can be idealized as rigid bodies subjected to seismic excitation. In this study, a closed-form expression for the behavior factor (q-factor) associated with overturning collapse...
The solution of any engineering problem starts with a modelling process aimed at formulating a mathematical model, which must describe the problem under consideration with sufficient precision. Because of heterogeneity of modern engineering applicati...
For decades, one of the most critical considerations of civil engineers has been the construction of structures that can sufficiently resist earthquakes. However, in many parts of the globe, ancient and contemporary buildings were constructed without...
This paper presents a study on the suitability and accuracy of detecting structural cracks in brick masonry by exploiting the breakage of ordinary silica optical fibers bonded to its surface with an epoxy adhesive. The deformations and cracking of th...
A straightforward and versatile numerical approach is proposed for the nonlinear analysis of single and double-curvature masonry structures. The method is designed to broaden accessibility to both experienced and less specialized users. Masonry units...
This study aims to investigate the bond behavior at earthen mortar–brick interfaces in historic masonry structures. To that end, a series of combined compression–shear tests were conducted to systematically assess the influence of varying...
This paper discusses different formulations for calculating earthquake-induced displacement demands to be associated with nonlinear static analysis procedures for the assessment of masonry structures. Focus is placed on systems with fundamental perio...
The structural assessment of masonry construction often requires the use of nonlinear 2D and 3D finite element analysis. This work describes a strategy for using energy outputs from such analyses to accurately assess failure conditions precipitated b...
This article discusses the significance of confined masonry (CM) structures in terms of their remarkable seismic performance in past earthquake events. However, the variability of CM structures with differing materials, detailing, and construction pr...
Detecting the onset of structural damage and its progressive evolution is crucial for the assessment and maintenance of the built environment. This paper describes the application of a computer-vision-based methodology for structural health monitorin...
The north of the state of Baja California (BC) is located in one of the regions of Mexico with a high seismic risk. The predominant infrastructure in the city of Tijuana consists of reinforced masonry housing structures, making it crucial to understa...
In addition to non-hydraulic lime, natural hydraulic lime (NHL) is a material widely used to repair and restore historic buildings. In Korea, although lime mortars have been used as important building materials for thousands of years, the sharing of...
Stress state evaluation in axially loaded structural members is significant for sustaining and preserving the service life of buildings. While successful monitoring furnishes staunch information on the health, integrity, safety and serviceability of...
Historic masonry buildings are characterised by uniqueness, which is intrinsically present in their building techniques, morphological features, architectural decorations, artworks, etc. From the modelling point of view, the degree of detail reached...
The incorporation of advanced smart materials, such as shape memory alloys (SMAs), in civil engineering presents significant challenges, particularly in modeling their complex behavior. Traditional numerical SMA models often require material paramete...
Computer simulations are challenging in terms of modeling the appropriate behavior of brick masonry structures. These numerical simulations are becoming increasingly difficult due to several design code requirements considered for the technical asses...
The retrofitting of existing masonry buildings is now a crucial problem for Europe. Indeed, structural safety and energy efficiency should represent the target of any renovation. The proposal of a new synthetic performance parameter is presented and...
Diagnostics is a very important tool of knowledge in the field of historical buildings. In particular, non-destructive techniques allow to deepen the study of the mechanical characteristics of the historical walls without compromising the artistic va...
Masonry towers are part of a valuable architectural heritage characterizing the landscape of many historical areas. These towers are vulnerable structures that are prone to earthquake damage. Hence, the design of effective seismic upgrading intervent...
Acoustic Emission is a non-invasive technique with potential applications in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), particularly for assessing historic masonry structures. However, its use in this field is complex due to the heterogeneous nature of maso...
Technological progress in masonry structures has resulted in the creation of competitive solutions, which force the need for an ever deeper recognition of this type of structure. Masonry is a composite with heterogeneous strength properties. Therefor...
This Special Issue is addressed to practising engineers and researchers involved in developing reinforced concrete and masonry structures [...]
The concrete shear walls of masonry structures with RC frames on the first story are low-rise shear walls with a height–width ratio of less than 1. The strength, stiffness, and ductility of these low-rise shear walls are not matched, resulting...
The 3D model is the primary information of an integrated support system for the assessment of structural safety under vertical loads and seismic vulnerability of a masonry building. The available approaches for evaluating seismic demand and capacity...
This article examines the seismic assessment and strengthening of a traditional load-bearing masonry structure subjected to strong motion data, with particular emphasis on the effects of soil–structure interaction (SSI). The case study is the A...
This article presents numerical models for unbraced steel frames filled with structural masonry under cyclic loads, offering insights into their behavior and design potential. Using simplified micro-modeling in ABAQUS with the Concrete Damage Plastic...
Timber-framed masonry structures are widely used around the world, and their seismic performance is generally poor. Most of them have not been seismically strengthened. In areas with high seismic fortification intensity, there are great potential saf...
Structural safety assessment of masonry structures is a crucial topic for architectural heritage conservation. Performance indicators are commonly adopted for civil structures and infrastructure made of reinforced/prestressed concrete or steel but ar...
This paper discusses the performance of a structural fuse concept developed for use as a seismic isolation system in the design and retrofit of masonry infill walls. An experimental program was developed and executed to study the behavior of the stru...
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