Wall Bracing Research Articles

Seismic response of braced excavation wall supporting deep sand layer using dynamic centrifuge tests

This paper presents the dynamic centrifuge model tests to investigate the seismic performance of a 24.8 m deep braced diaphragm wall supporting dry sand backfill soil at 40 g level acceleration. The model tests aim to determine the acceleration response of the backfill, seismic earth pressures acting on the wall, and the dynamic increment of the structure's inner force for sand backfills with different relative densities. Particularly, the horizontal seismic coefficient, earth pressure distribution, and dynamic thrust are analyzed in detail. Based on the experimental results, the dynamic thrust development is consistent for peak ground accelerations at bedrock less than 0.12 g and 0.10 g for relavitve densities of 78 % and 54 %, respectively. However, the dynamic thrust starts to increase when the bedrock acceleration exceeds this threshold. Moreover, the varying trend of dynamic thrusts under ground input motion employed during at the initial excitation differs from that of the succeeding input motions, likely due to the changes in relative density caused by backfill disturbance from sequential excitation. The increasing rate of increase on the dynamic thrusts among Northridge, Kobe, and artificial excitations was changed with the amplitude of the acceleration response. Lastly, the wall bending moment and strut axial force increase by up to 97.3 % and 12.9 % of the maximum value of member force on the at-rest condition due to earthquake loading.

Experimental and analytical evaluation of semi-rigid timber connection with screwed-in threaded rods and steel coupling part

A major challenge for mid and high-rise timber buildings is fulfilling serviceability requirements. Moment-resisting timber frames with semi-rigid moment-resisting connections as the primary lateral load-resisting system can be an alternative to buildings with wind bracing or shear walls, allowing for more free space, enhanced building performance, and architectural flexibility. Moreover, introducing semi-rigid timber connections can improve the performance of floors against human-induced vibrations and potentially decrease the material used. The performance of moment-resisting frames depends mainly on the properties of their beam-to-column connections. The paper presents an experimental investigation of semi-rigid moment-resisting connections with long screwed-in threaded rods and a steel coupling part. Long threaded rods (i.e., screwed-in threaded rods with wood screw threads) feature high axial stiffness and resistance and allow for immediate load transfer without initial slip. Due to these properties, threaded rods are preferred over conventional dowel-type fasteners such as bolts and dowels. Five full-scale moment-resisting timber connections were tested under cyclic and monotonic loading to investigate moment resistance, rotational stiffness, and energy dissipation. The stiffness obtained by cyclic and monotonic tests was compared with numerical and analytical methods. The beam-to-column moment-resisting connections demonstrated a high moment resistance of 92.2 kNm and rotational stiffness of 8049 kNm/rad without initial slip. The experimental results and analytical calculations of rotational stiffness differed only by 5 %, whereas the finite element model exhibited a discrepancy of approximately 35 %. The equivalent viscous damping was determined based on cyclic load tests at service load levels and was found to be in the range of 5.5 %–10.0 %. Finally, a parametric study is presented to discuss the effect of semi-rigid connections on the performance of the timber floors and material savings. The increase in rotational stiffness of the beam-to-column connections could lead to up to 13 % material savings.

Flexural and Shear Deformation of Basement-Clamped Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls.

For a precise analysis of buildings under earthquake effects, the load-deformation behaviour of the bracing walls must be comprehensively known. The horizontal bracing walls are often clamped in the basement; however, less attention has been paid to these walls' clamping parts in the past. This study presents three shear wall experiments (NW 1, NW 2, NW 3) with heights up to six meters in a scale of 1:1.5 to the real size. Measured were the force-displacement curve, the curvature distribution over the height, the crack pattern, and the crack opening and spacing. Twelve displacement transducers, an optical measurement system with eight cameras, and a manual crack measurement were utilised. Out of the measurements, the impact of the tension shift effect on the load-displacement curves could be quantified for the cantilever part of the walls. Additionally, it was found out that a sliding failure in the clamping part must be considered if the aspect ratio of H/L is equal to or less than one.

Review of Using Shear Walls and Bracings for Seismic Strengthening of High-Rise RC Structures

This review explores the seismic resistance of high-rise buildings through the implementation of shear wall and steel bracing systems. The use of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings with shear wall systems and steel structures with concentrated steel bracing systems has become increasingly common to mitigate seismic effects. However, the response of these systems to seismic loads varies due to differences in structural design and response factor values. Additionally, the presence of asymmetrical building designs poses a potential risk during earthquakes, necessitating a thorough examination of both new and old structures. By analyzing the dynamic properties and influencing factors of irregular RCC buildings with shear walls, this research aims to assess the impact of shear walls on factors such as base shear, torsion, story displacement, and drift. Furthermore, the study investigates the effectiveness of steel bracing systems in enhancing the performance of high-rise buildings under wind and seismic loading conditions. Different bracing configurations are evaluated to determine their ability to reduce lateral displacements and improve structural strength and stiffness. The findings will provide valuable insights into optimizing the location and design of bracing systems for enhanced structural resilience against seismic and wind forces while considering both economic and effectiveness factors.

Study of Torsional and Stiffness Properties of the RC Buildings with Shear wall and Steel Bracing with Lateral Loadings

The equivalent static analysis and response spectrum analysis were performed for sixteen different models with different positioning of lateral load resisting systems in building. For the development of seismic response curve of the represented model is presented in tabular form and graphically shown in figure. Seismic response curve has been generated according to the response spectra curve of IS 1893:2016. The following parameters are compared between Equivalent Static Method and Response Spectrum Method with different positions of shear wall, braces and combined system in each model.

Optimal Bracing Type of Reinforced Concrete Buildings with Soil-Structure Interaction Taken into Consideration

This study aims to investigate the impact of soil-structure interaction (SSI) on the seismic behavior of reinforced concrete buildings. An advanced numerical model for SSI was developed and verified using ABAQUS software. The seismic response of a 12-story building on four types of soil (rock, dense soil, stiff soil, and soft soil) was examined using a Normalized Response Spectra based on the Moroccan paraseismic regulation RPS 2011. The global lateral displacement, inter-story drift, and period were compared for two types of bracing (column and shear wall). The results show that SSI has a significant impact on the seismic behavior of buildings, and the seismic responses of soil-structure systems with column and shear wall bracing are quite different. The research contributions of this paper include developing an advanced numerical model for SSI, examining the impact of SSI on the choice of bracing for reinforced concrete buildings, and providing guidance on the most reliable bracing method for structures of various heights and soil types. The study's findings have important implications for seismic design and can help improve the safety and reliability of buildings in earthquake-prone regions. The study also highlights the importance of considering SSI in seismic design and the need for guidelines that describe the bracing systems to be used based on the structure's height and type of soil. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-06-06 Full Text: PDF

Modeling of crashworthy foam mounted braced unreinforced brick masonry wall and prediction of anti-blast performance

Explosions are continually occurring in many parts of the world endangering human lives and seriously affecting the health of infrastructures and facilities. Low-rise buildings having a height of fewer than 13 m are load-bearing structures generally made of unreinforced masonry (URM), particularly in semi-urban areas, villages, and war-prone border areas. Many structures of importance including buildings constructed in the pre- and post-independence era of courts, monuments, etc., are masonry load-bearing structures. URM is also used as non–load-bearing partition walls and compound/boundary walls. Such walls are susceptible to out-of-plane blast loading. Under such loadings, these walls fail to survive and thus either get severely damaged or collapsed, jeopardizing the stability of the entire structure. Resistance of masonry walls against blast loading is vital for the safety of the building and its users as injuries sustained and casualties are generally not caused due to explosion, but by the brittle dynamic fracture and fragments of masonry walls, window glass panes shattering, and other secondary objects propelled as missiles by the blasts. In general, buildings are not designed for blast loading. For the safety of the building users, it is imperative that the walls must withstand such short-duration high-magnitude extreme loadings without not only undergoing catastrophic collapse but also not producing deadly fragments which could cause grievous injuries to the users. To protect URM walls from high-intensity blast waves, an out-of-box wall protecting technique using foams of polymer (e.g., polyurethane) and metals namely; aluminum and titanium, is considered on the face of the wall exposed to the blast pressure. This study describes a numerical technique implemented in ABAQUS/Explicit software to predict the overall anti-blast performance of URM wall strengthened externally with the above three different crashworthy foams. For this purpose, a braced URM wall made of clay bricks, with two transverse bracing walls one at each end on the same side, tested experimentally by Badshah et al. in the year 2021 under the chemical explosive loads of 4.34 kg and 7.39 kg-TNT, respectively, at scaled distances 2.19 m/kg1/3 and 1.83 m/kg1/3 is considered as the reference model and is validated against the test observations. Explosion load is modeled with ABAQUS built-in ConWep simulation program to simulate the wall-explosion wave interactions in the free field. Material nonlinearities of the brickwork have been attributed to bricks, joint-mortar, and brick-mortar interfaces through constitutive laws considering strain-rate effects. The foams are modeled using ABAQUS’s inbuilt Crushable Foam Plasticity Hardening model considering foam hardening and rate-dependent schemes. Results show that the higher Young’s modulus and inelastic stiffness of the foams contribute to dissipating more explosion energy and improve the resistance of the walls from savage explosions.

Multi-objective optimization of double-walled steel cofferdams based on response surface methodology and particle swarm optimization algorithm

To improve the safety of steel cofferdams and reduce the cost to the extent possible, a multi-objective optimization method based on response surface methodology (RSM) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm was proposed to optimize the structure of double-walled steel cofferdams in the deep-water bridge foundation construction. The thickness of the inner and outer wall plate, the height and thickness of the inner-wall brace and the vertical spacing between annular plates were selected as design variables, taking the stress of the inner-wall brace and inner wall plate as the optimization objectives and the cost as the constraint condition, an optimization model of double-wall steel cofferdam was proposed. On the basis of the finite element calculation results, the experimental design and RSM were used to obtain the explicit relationship between the design variables and the structural response of the cofferdam. The optimal values of the design parameters of the cofferdam were obtained using PSO algorithm. The optimal design parameters and the structural response of the cofferdam variation with the cost were investigated. It is shown that the combination of RSM and PSO is able to optimize the cofferdam structure, with a stress optimization rate of 49.8% for the inner-wall brace while keeping the original cost constant. In addition, by adjusting the cost threshold, the reasonable range of cost coefficient K for this cofferdam is 0.119 to 0.162, and the section size of inner-wall brace is the key design parameter for the cofferdam, which provides a design idea for the optimization of deep-water cofferdam structure.

Experimental investigations of a new highly ductile hold-down with adaptive stiffness for timber seismic bracing walls

An efficient implementation of the capacity design requires high ductility combined with a low overstrength of the critical regions. Conventional timber connections do not generally offer such ideal combination, resulting in modest behaviour and relatively high overstrength factors. Inspired by the Buckling Restrained Brace a new hold-down has been developed where the timber wall directly acts as a casing. The new hold-down has been given an adaptive stiffness allowing the structure to be stiff in the wind, while becoming more flexible in the case of an earthquake. Furthermore, local crushing of the timber members is completely avoided, and the new hold-down could be replaced after an earthquake. Experimental investigations were performed on hold-down specimens. The results show ultimate displacement values vu,c of more than 30 mm in a cyclic test according to EN12512. Eleven Cross Laminated Timber shear walls, in which the new hold-down has been implemented, were tested following monotonic and static-cyclic tests procedures, with and without vertical load. A very high ductility has been achieved with almost no strength degradation, little pinching and limited overstrength.

DCABLE BRACING SYSTEM FOR TALL BUILDINGS

Selection of wind force resisting system is an important decision in the design of tall buildings, especially for those located in hurricane prone regions. Rigid frames, shear walls, braced frames, framed tube, bundled tube and hybrid system are the common structural forms used to resist lateral forces produced due to wind. Cables have a great potential to be used as a structural element. Cable stayed and hanging bridges and guyed towers are the common structural applications of cables. Not much work has been done to use cables for bracing tall buildings against the lateral movement produced by natural forces like wind and earthquakes. This research work proposes an external cable bracing system for tall buildings which may be used in the future for high-rise structures. A sixty story tall building has been analyzed for the wind speed recommended for Miami, FL., USA., using a shear wall bracing system and the proposed cable bracing system. Comparison of structural performance of the two systems is presented to establish the suitability of the cable bracing system as a part of the wind force resisting system.

Damage Prediction of Monolithic and Non-Monolithic Braced Unreinforced Brick Masonry Walls under Explosion Loadings

Numerous unreinforced masonry (URM) structures worldwide face greater vulnerability to direct threats like earthquakes, wind, impact, or explosions compared to reinforced concrete and steel structures. Given the current worldwide environment characterized by dominance and extremism, the task of safeguarding structures, especially from explosive detonations, presents a growing and crucial obstacle for engineers and researchers. The Masonry Society (TMS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have recognized that the primary cause of material damage resulting from explosions is the collapse of walls made of URM. The recent catastrophic explosion at the Beirut seaport in Lebanon, the largest of its kind, serves as a stark reminder to town planners, architects, and structural designers. This tragic incident resulted in an immense loss of building infrastructure overall and specifically affected load-bearing masonry structures, leading to severe injuries and casualties. It underscores the urgent need for comprehensive attention and strategic measures in addressing the vulnerabilities inherent in these structures. This research study explores the response of URM walls, constructed with clay bricks, to out-of-plane blast forces. The walls are braced with either monolithic or non-monolithic transverse walls, and a three-dimensional micro-modeling approach is employed. The analysis is conducted using the Abaqus software, which utilizes the finite element method. Alongside the braced walls, the study also examines a free-standing URM wall without transverse walls. The exposed face of the walls is subjected to peak reflected pressures of 0.38 and 1.01 MPa, generated by explosive charges weighing 4.34 and 7.49 kg-TNT at scaled distances of 2.19 and 1.83 m/kg1/3, respectively. The Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) model, which incorporates the influence of strain rate, is utilized to simulate the behavior of masonry under blast loads. Comparisons are made between the computed damage patterns of a wall reinforced with monolithic transverse walls and the experimental results found in existing literature, revealing a notable level of agreement. The influence of both monolithic and non-monolithic joints on the performance of the exposed wall is thoroughly examined and contrasted with one another, as well as with the performance of a free-standing wall. The research indicates that non-monolithic joints between the exposed wall and transverse bracing walls exhibit a greater extent of damage to the bracing walls, as this is predominantly influenced by the response of the exposed wall itself.

THE IMPACT OF THE SEISMIC AREA ON THE BRACING TYPE CHOICE OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BUILDINGS

Bracing systems are used to improve the seismic resilience of structures, particularly concrete buildings. Each bracing system showed a distinct seismic response. Generally, seismic regulations do not go into great depth on the sort of bracing that should be considered on the basis of both the height of the structures and the seismic activity of a specific location. To find the safest and most effective bracing mode for a structure while considering the seismic area in which it will be built, we studied the stability of structures at different heights using various techniques of bracing. To achieve this, we developed 396 models with various bracing types (columns, shear walls, and mixed), heights (3-6-9, and 12-storey), then analyzed the data of multiple seismic areas, staticaly and dynamicaly, using the ETABS program. The model's global displacement and structural mass are then evaluated and compared. A 3D design of the structures was performed using BIM techniques to quantify all materials used in the construction (Building Information Modeling). Following model validation and result analysis, we concluded that shear wall bracing performs best in structures taller than 21 m, whereas column bracing is advised for buildings no taller than 6 storeys. This article simplifies the selection process and serves as a guide for designers. Architects and engineers must continually conduct extensive studies to determine the appropriate type of bracing. The outcomes of this study can be used to strengthen regulations, which is another finding.

Investigation on the structural failure behaviour of pultruded circular tubular GFRP multiplanar truss bridges with non-metallic connections through finite element modelling

The finite element (FE) method was used to investigate the failure of member connections of five glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) multiplanar truss bridges (MTB) with non-metallic connections. Three-dimensional FE models for the MTBs were developed and validated against previous experimental results and were accompanied by multiple parametric studies. Adhesive failure of the brace occurs progressively around the perimeter of the brace and GFRP laminate wrapping failure was not observed before adhesive bond failure of the brace. Furthermore, the failure sequence of the GFRP laminate layer and the adhesive bonding between the brace and chord was found to be dependent on the brace wall thickness. Extent of the predicted fibre tensile rupture of the GFRP laminate was greater for cement mortar grouted GFRP rods than its non-GFRP grouted counterpart.

Seismic performance of single-storey light timber-framed buildings braced by gypsum plasterboards considering rigidity of ceiling diaphragms

Light timber framed (LTF) structures provide a cost-effective and structurally efficient solution for low-rise residential buildings. This paper studies seismic performance of single-storey LTF buildings sheathed by gypsum-plasterboards (GPBs) that are a typical lining product in New Zealand houses. Compared with wood-based structural panels, GPBs tend to be more susceptible to damage when they are used in bracing walls to resist earthquake loads. This study aims to provide insights on how the bracing wall irregularity allowed by the current New Zealand standard NZS 3604 and the in-plane rigidity of ceiling diaphragms affect the overall seismic performance of these GPB-braced LTF buildings. Nonlinear time-history analyses were conducted on a series of single-storey baseline buildings with different levels of bracing wall irregularities and ceiling diaphragm rigidity. The results showed significant torsional effect caused by the eccentric bracing wall layout with semi-rigid/rigid ceiling diaphragms. On average, bracing wall drift demand caused by the extreme bracing wall irregularities was three times of that in the regular bracing wall layout under the rigid diaphragm assumption. This finding agreed well with the house survey after the 2011 Canterbury Earthquake in which significantly more damage was observed in the houses with irregular bracing wall layouts and relatively rigid diaphragms. Therefore, it is recommended to limit the level of bracing wall eccentricity and ensure the sufficiently rigid diaphragms to avoid excessive damage in these LTF buildings in future events.

In situ axial loading tests on H-shaped steel strut with double splay supports

The design of a large excavation using a braced wall system (BWS) with H-shaped steel (HS) struts is introduced. In situ axial loading tests were conducted to study the load transfer and deformation mechanisms of an HS strut with double splay supports. The monitoring results indicate that the outer splay support withstands the most lateral earth pressure (48.5%), followed by the inner splay support (35.6%) and BC segment of the end support (15.9%). The safety redundancies of strength and stability for the outer and inner splay supports, AB and BC segments of the end support are all larger than 1.59. The axial deformations of the middle support and the whole strut tend to increase linearly with the loading process. Using the monitored total load of hydraulic jacks, the value of KT″ of the whole strut is estimated to be 158–189 MN/m. The modified value of KT″ (KT″ba/S) of the whole strut is 2.2–2.6 MN/m. It is close to the lower limit of the suggested range (2.5–3.5 MN/m) in the Chinese standard. The monitored data of typical safety control parameters during soil excavation and the monitored results during in situ loading tests indicate good performance of the BWS with HS struts in this project.

Shear behaviour of screw connections in plasterboard sheathed cold- formed steel-framed ceiling diaphragms: experimental and comparative study

ABSTRACT In Australian domestic structures, steel framing and sheathing panels are usually connected using screws. The ceiling diaphragm plays an important role in distributing lateral loads to the bracing walls. Shear connection tests could be used to observe the ceiling diaphragm performance without the complexity of testing full-scale isolated diaphragms. In this research, numerous inexpensive tests have been conducted to replicate representative tests to determine the parameters outlining the load-displacement behaviour for the screw connections between cold-formed steel framing members and plasterboard sheathing. All investigations of shear connection tests have focused on monotonic loading testing. These tests are aimed to determine the lower and upper bounds of the load-displacement curves for typical cold-formed steel framing-to-plasterboard screw connections in ceiling diaphragms. Finally, finite element (FE) models were developed by utilising these test results and predicted the performance of full-sized plasterboard-clad cold-formed steel framed ceiling diaphragms under lateral loading.

Strengthening of braced unreinforced brick masonry wall with (i) C-FRP wrapping, and (ii) steel angle-strip system under blast loading

Accidental detonations, and explosions made by extremists are major threats to human life and building structures. The vulnerability of the load-bearing masonry structures is more as compared to the reinforced concrete structures against explosion-induced loadings. Such events weaken the socio-economic stability and therefore necessitates the evaluation and effective strengthening strategies of masonry structures to improve their blast performance. Unreinforced masonry (URM) walls have little flexural resistance against out-of-plane loadings and exhibit a brittle mode of failure. In this research work, the clay brick masonry wall braced with two transverse walls one at each end, tested experimentally under the explosive loads of 4.34 and 7.49 kg-TNT equivalent at scaled distances 2.19 and 1.83 m/kg1/3, has been numerically analyzed using a high-fidelity commercial FEM-based dynamic computer program, ABAQUS/Explicit-v.6.15 considering micro-modeling technique and concrete-damaged-plasticity (CDP) model with strain rate effect. Damage in the exposed masonry wall in the form of (i) vertical mortar joint cracks at the center and next to the bracing transverse walls, (ii) flexural cracks near the ground; and diagonal cracking in the lower part of the bracing walls, is observed at a scaled distance, Z = 2.19 m/kg1/3. For Z = 1.83 m/kg1/3, out-of-plane catastrophic collapse of the walls occurs. The computed damage patterns are found quite similar to the experimental ones in the open literature. A novel strategy other than commonly used carbon fiber reinforced polymer (C-FRP) wrapping technique, consisting of steel angle-strip system has been devised and used to strengthen the wall against the considered blast levels. CFRP wrapping of 2mm thickness, and steel strip mesh of thickness (a) 3mm, and (b) 5mm with angles along the edges of the walls, are considered to improve the wall response and analyses are carried out. The blast load-carrying mechanisms of the walls strengthened with the two techniques are explained.

Evaluation of Applicability of 1D-CNN and LSTM to Predict Horizontal Displacement of Retaining Wall According to Excavation Work

During excavation works in downtown, stability and safety considerations of such excavations and constructions are crucial for which continuous wall structures with varying structural components are commonly used. Most of the current models used for this purpose are often complex, where the accepted parameters do not have a clear physical meaning. Moreover, accurate ground movement forecasts are challenging due to nonlinear and inelastic soil behavior. Therefore, this study proposes a method to predict the lateral displacement of the braced wall at each stage of excavation by using all the basic information necessary for braced wall design, including ground information of the excavation site, support methods such as the type of brace, location and stiffness, information about the neighboring buildings, and the results of numerical analysis. One-dimensional convolutional neural network and long short-term memory network are used for estimation and prediction to develop an optimal prediction model based on well-refined but limited data. The applicability of the braced wall was confirmed for safety management by predicting the horizontal displacement of the braced wall for each stage of excavation. The proposed model can be used to predict the stability of the horizontal wall for each excavation step and reduce accident risks, such as collapse of the retaining wall, which may occur during construction.

Strengthening of unreinforced braced masonry wall with (1) CFRP laminate and (2) mild-steel strips: innovative techniques, against close-range explosion

Strengthening of unreinforced braced masonry wall with (1) CFRP laminate and (2) mild-steel strips: innovative techniques, against close-range explosion

Performance based strengthening with concrete protective coatings on braced unreinforced masonry wall subjected to close-in explosion

Being voluminous and moderately strong in compression, walls of unreinforced masonry (URM) with poor tensile strength possess adequate stabilizing gravity force against destabilizing lateral loads but nevertheless, their flexural and torsional resistances are found to be quite limited. Explosion-induced impulsive loading may destabilize such walls leading to the collapse of the structure if they were part of its load-bearing configuration. Many palatial unreinforced masonry structures in old cities across the world follow such support system. Recent devastating accidental Beirut Ammonium Nitrate explosion and more recently Russian invasion on Ukraine raise the concern of researchers and engineers for safety of such building components. Blast explosive loading may also generate projectile of the debris to cause damage to other building components and grievous injuries to the building occupants. This necessitates the development of effective strengthening techniques to upgrade masonry components against such high intense loadings. In the present work, a URM wall along with bracing lateral walls on the same side at each end is micro-modeled in ABAQUS/Explicit computer code and investigation has been carried out for its blast performance under the 7.49 kg-TNT equivalent load at a scaled distance of 1.83 m/kg1/3. An explicit finite element modelling method is used for the numerical simulations of the wall subjected to explosion loading. The so-called Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) model with strain rate effects is adopted to consider the non-linearity of the materials. Observed damage profile of the wall with its almost complete collapse is found matching with that reported in the open literature from the experimental study. To prevent this damage catastrophe, protective coatings of (1) ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) and (2) ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC), of 15 mm thickness have been considered as strengthening materials on the wall. Changes in collapse modes and response parameters of the modified walls are discussed and compared. It was found that the application of concrete coatings on the braced URM wall improved significantly the deformation behavior and overall stability of the wall.