Push ‘o ver: a pushover test program on an existing brickwork construction

Abstract

An experimental pushover was carried on two very similar unreinforced masonry constructions. These constructions were obtained from an existing two-story brickwork building, located at Castel di Lama and to be demolished due to the damage suffered during the seismic sequence that affected central Italy from August 2016 to January 2017. The central stairwell was demolished in a controlled manner and, thanks to the symmetry of the original building, two almost identical portions were delivered: one was simply repaired, by repointing the cracks caused by the earthquakes, the other was seismically strengthened using Fibre Net reinforced plaster or composite reinforced mortar. The plaster was applied on both faces of the load-bearing walls of the first level and only on the external face at the second level. Preliminary dynamic characterization tests were carried out on both constructions. Then, pushover tests were carried out until collapse on both portions, using a steel structure placed on a reinforced concrete mat supported by four piles, which allowed to apply increasing horizontal forces at the two floors. The experimental results were analysed carefully and compared with those obtained from suitable numerical models.