Testing Historic Masonry Elements and/or Building Models

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the Literature on the behaviour of historic masonry elements and building models. The purpose of this paper is to identify the main parameters affecting the seismic behaviour of historic masonry buildings, as illustrated through the experimental campaigns carried out by numerous researchers. Furthermore, aspects of the seismic behaviour that are not sufficiently studied to-date are identified. Thus, selected publications are evaluated related to the behaviour of historic masonry elements in compression, in diagonal compression, in in-plane shear and simultaneous compression, out-of-plane bending, as well as publications related to the behaviour of subassemblies and building models subjected to monotonic, pseudo-dynamic or dynamic tests on earthquake simulator. The available experimental results illustrate the main weaknesses of historic masonry elements and bearing systems, namely the vulnerability to in-plane shear and to out-of-plane bending, the limited ductility, the negative effect of the flexibility of timber floors and roofs, etc. On the other hand, the beneficial effect of adequate connection between horizontal and vertical elements, as well as the connection among walls is also evident. Moreover, the variety of the construction types of masonry tested by various researchers, the scale of the models, the variety of experimental setups and loading histories do not allow, in most cases, a direct comparison of the experimental results. This is so especially as far as properties related to the deformations of masonry elements are concerned. Thus, the effort to develop sound physical models and to calibrate them is not yet satisfactorily assisted by the available experimental results. Yet, this is a prerequisite for a reliable assessment of the current state of historic structures and, by way of consequence, for the selection of adequate intervention techniques for their preservation.