Effect of cross walls on the interaction curves of the unreinforced masonry walls

Abstract

AbstractDuring the earthquake, masonry walls are subjected to both in‐plane and out‐of‐plane loading. The walls are interconnected in the masonry buildings at the corners and other locations. The cross walls connected to the main walls considerably affect the behavior of the masonry walls, which has not been paid enough attention to in previous studies. Therefore, the present study focuses on the effect of cross walls on the interaction curves of unreinforced masonry walls. The interaction curves have been obtained by applying the out‐of‐plane pressure to the walls, followed by the uniform in‐plane displacement at its top. Both in‐plane and out‐of‐plane loads are applied unidirectionally on the walls. The walls have been analyzed in the finite element software Abaqus using the simplified micro‐modeling approach. Masonry walls with cross‐sections of rectangular shape, C shape, H shape, and T shape have been considered herein. Further, the effect of varying aspect ratios and pre‐compressions on the interaction curves of the walls has been assessed. An empirical equation has been proposed to obtain the interaction curves of the masonry walls of different shapes, which depends on the aspect ratio and pre‐compression applied to the walls. It has been observed that the in‐plane strengths of the walls are sensitive to the pressure applied in the out‐of‐plane direction on them. The in‐plane strength of the walls reduces rapidly after exceeding the critical out‐of‐plane pressure. Further, it has been found that the shapes of the walls also significantly impact the interaction curves of the masonry walls. The cross walls connected to the main wall noticeably affect the walls' strength and stiffness as well.