Experimental and analytical investigation of opening effects on the in-plane capacity of unreinforced masonry wall

Abstract

A test programme consisting of four half-scale URM walls was conducted under quasi-static cyclic loading to evaluate the negative influence of openings. Test results showed that the masonry adjacent to the opening experienced significant damage, and the specimens with a door opening was found to have complete detachment of the masonry pier, resulting in a reduction in the capacity of more than 25%. Furthermore, a detailed parametric nonlinear finite element analysis was performed to assess the influence of parameters affecting the in-plane load capacity of the URM wall. Numerical results showed that depending upon the size and location of openings and the material and geometric properties of walls, the in-plane load capacity was reduced by 6–82%. Considering the results of available experimental studies and present numerical analyses, a simplified equation was proposed to estimate the reduction in the in-plane load capacity of the specimen with different types of openings. The analytical study demonstrated that the proposed equation effectively provided reliable and consistent predictions of the strength reduction factor for walls with different types of openings.