Determination of the In-Plane Behavior of Masonry Walls Using the Truss Model

Abstract

ABSTRACT The diverse characteristics of masonry structures make it difficult to determine their behavior. The development of numerical methodologies using various approaches and assumptions reflects the need for adaptable methods to accommodate these diverse structures. This study focuses on a novel simplified approach for analyzing masonry walls. The proposed method uses truss elements with a well-known theoretical background to elucidate the load-bearing capacity, damage formation and its causative factors, and failure mechanics of masonry piers within a plane. Five masonry wall samples from three different studies were used to validate the accuracy of the proposed approach. Pushover analyses were performed using software with nonlinear analysis capabilities, which was developed in the Python programming language. Consequently, the obtained results were compared with the literature data. This method provides initial expectations such as simplification and consistency, making it a potential alternative for the preliminary assessment of masonry structures.