Abstract
The ' behaviour of unreinforced masonry walls under seismic loading is considered, with particular emphasis being given to face-load response. It is shown that traditional methods of assessing seismic performance based on elastic stress calculations result in excessively conservative results when compared with more realistic methods of assessment. In particular, an assessment procedure based on energy cons iderations is developed at some length, and is illustrated by a worked sample.
Highlights
The important subject of strength assessment of existing masonry structures and the formulation of procedures for securing against risk has drawn strong and growing interest in recent years
In the case of existing^ buildings a similar degree of conservatism may lead to encroachment across the threshold between "need not strengthen" and "need to strengthen" and result in undue cost
The configuration shown in Fig A 3 ( c ), which involves no amplification and which is consistent with the assumptions of mean support motions used by Dr Priestley, is the best that can be expected
Summary
The important subject of strength assessment of existing masonry structures and the formulation of procedures for securing against risk has drawn strong and growing interest in recent years. The configuration shown in Fig A 3 ( b ) , which is consistent with free vibration, yields a value of about one-half of the required spectral acceleration, close to that calculated by Priestley because of his misconstruction of the problem. The configuration shown in Fig A 3 ( c ) , which involves no amplification and which is consistent with the assumptions of mean support motions used by Dr Priestley, is the best that can be expected. The configuration of Fig A 3 ( e ) , which is suggested as more likely, yields values of sustainable spectral acceleration considerably less This rather alarming reduction from Dr Priestley 1 s results requires that further assessment of likely response be undertaken. The correspondence between these values and those calculated earlier is striking, and leads support to the view, intuitively natural, that considerable amplification of support motions is likely
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