Fragility analysis of containment reinforced masonry wall using equivalent frame model

Abstract

A considerable percentage (over 70%) of dwellings across the globe involve masonry elements. Masonry structures are well known to be weak in resisting seismic actions. This paper presents the effectiveness of (near surface mounted) containment reinforcement as earthquake resistant feature for masonry walls. Analytical prediction of the response of unreinforced (UR) and reinforced (R) masonry structures to earthquakes are hindered by the complexity and cost of micro and macro models. Consequently, researchers have come up with simplified models of masonry walls to capture seismic responses. The Equivalent Frame Model (EFM) is one such simplified approach. The present work evaluates the performance of two-storey UR and R masonry walls subjected to In-plane seismic action through Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) and Fragility Analysis (FA). EFM has been employed in commercial FEM software SAP2000.v21 to evaluate the seismic response of these walls to the ensemble of near-field and far-field excitations. Finally, the work demonstrates the superiority of Containment Reinforced (CR) masonry against seismic action.