• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Structure & Construction
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• v.34 no.11
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• pp.27-35
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of boundary RC frame(composed of one tie-beam and two tie-columns) on seismic performance of unreinforced masonry walls to suggest alternative way for seismic design of unreinforced masonry wall structures. Two test specimens are prepared, one is a typical unreinforced masonry wall and another is alternative unreinforced masonry wall with additional boundary RC frame. The structural experiments were carried out to evaluate the difference of seismic resistance performance between two test specimens with or without the boundary RC frames. From the test results, it was found that the failure mode of unreinforced masonry wall fundamentally changed from 'brittle' to 'ductile' by the installing of boundary RC frames. And, the maximum load and energy dissipation capacity of the test specimen with boundary RC frame was increased about 1.6~1.7 and 2~3 times respectively compared with a typical unreinforced masonry wall specimen.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.49-57
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• 2023

This study investigated the rocking behavior of unreinforced masonry walls and wall piers under cyclic loading. Based on the benchmark tests, the characteristics of load-deformation relations in masonry walls with rocking failure were captured, focusing on observed deformation modes. The rocking strengths of masonry walls (i.e., peak and residual strengths) were evaluated, and the effects of opening configurations on the masonry wall strength were examined. The deformation capacity of the rocking behavior and the hysteresis shape of the load-deformation relations were also identified. Based on the results, modeling approaches for the rocking behavior of masonry walls were discussed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.477-493
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• 2003

Masonry is not a simple material, the influence of mortar joints as a plane of weakness is a significant feature and this makes the numerical modelling of masonry very difficult especially when dynamic (seismic) analysis is involved. In order to develop a simple numerical model for masonry under earthquake load, an analytical model based on Distinct Element Method (DEM) is being developed. At the first stage, the model is applied to simulate the in-plane shear behaviour of an unreinforced masonry wall with and without opening where the testing results are available for comparison. In DEM, a solid is represented as an assembly of discrete blocks. Joints are modelled as interface between distinct bodies. It is a dynamic process and specially designed to model the behaviour of discontinuities. The numerical solutions obtained from the distinct element analysis are validated by comparing the results with those obtained from existing experiments and finite element modelling.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2021

Fiber-reinforced polymer reinforcement or polyurea reinforcement techniques are applied to strengthen unreinforced masonry walls (UMWs). The out-of-plane reinforcing effect of sprayed glass fiber-reinforced polyurea (GFRPU), which is a composite elastomer made of polyurea and milled glass fibers on UMW, is experimentally verified. The out-of-plane strengths and ductile behaviors based on various coating shapes are compared in this study. An empirical formula to describe the degree of reinforcement on the out-of-plane strength of the UMW is derived based on the experimental results. It is reported that the peak load-carrying capacity, ductility, and energy absorption capacity gradually improve with an increase in the strengthening degree or area. Compared with the existing masonry wall reinforcement method, the GFRPU technique is a construction method that can help improve the safety performance along with ease of construction and economic efficiency.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2022

In this study, the seismic performance of a two-story unreinforced masonry (URM) building was assessed following the linear and nonlinear static procedures specified in the seismic evaluation guideline of existing buildings. First, the provisions to assess failure modes and shear strengths of URM walls and wall piers were reviewed. Then, a two-story URM building was assessed by the linear static procedure using m-factors. The results showed that the walls and wall piers with aspect ratios h_e // (i.e., effective height-to-length ratio) > 1.5 were unsafe due to rocking or toe crushing, whereas the walls with h_e // ≤ 1.5 and governed by bed-joint sliding mainly were safe. Axial stresses and shear forces acted upon individual masonry walls, and wall piers differed depending on whether the openings were modeled. The masonry building was reevaluated according to the nonlinear static procedure for a more refined assessment. Based on the linear and nonlinear assessment results, considerations of seismic evaluation for low-rise masonry buildings were given with a focus on the effects of openings.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.489-499
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• 2024

Infill masonry walls are vulnerable to lateral loads, including seismic, wind, and concentrated push loads. Various strengthening metal fittings have been proposed to improve lateral load resistance, particularly against seismic loads. This study introduces the use of post-compressed wedges as a novel reinforcement method for infill masonry walls to enhance lateral load resistance. The resistance of the infill masonry wall against lateral-concentrated push loads was assessed using an out-of-plane push-over test on specimens sized 2,300×2,410×190 mm³. The presence or absence of wedges and wedge spacing were set as variables. The push-over test results showed that both the unreinforced specimen and the specimen reinforced with 300 mm spaced wedges toppled, while the specimen reinforced with 100 mm spaced wedges remained upright. Peak loads were measured to be 0.74, 29.77, and 5.88 kN for unreinforced specimens and specimens reinforced with 100 mm and 300 mm spaced wedges, respectively. Notably, a tighter reinforcement spacing yielded a similar strength, as expected, which was attributed to the increased friction force between the masonry wall and steel frame. The W-series specimens exhibited a trend comparable to that of the displacement ductility ratio. Overall, the findings validate that post-compressed wedges improve the out-of-plane strength of infill masonry walls.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.87 no.5
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• pp.487-498
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• 2023

Unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings are extensively adopted in many of the growing nations, particularly in India. Window or door openings are required for architectural or functional reasons, which pose a threat to the building's safety. The past earthquakes have shown that the seismic capability of these structures was very weak. Strengthening these unreinforced masonry walls using welded wire mesh (WWM) is one of the most commonly and economical methods. The present experimental study investigates the impact of openings on the shear behaviour of URM walls and the effectiveness of WWM in enhancing the shear performance of masonry wall. In the experimental program 16 specimens were cast, 8 unstrengthen and 8 strengthened specimens, under 8 unstrengthen and strengthened specimens, every 2 specimens had 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% openings and all these walls were tested under diagonal compression. The results show that the shear carrying capacity reduces as the opening percentage increases. However, strengthening the URM specimens using WWM significantly improves the peak load, shear strength, ductility, stiffness, and energy dissipation. Furthermore, the strengthening of the URM walls using WWM compensated the loss of wall capacity caused by the presence of the openings.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.305-313
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• 2012

Unreinforced masonry buildings represent a significant portion of the existing and historical buildings around the world. Recent earthquakes have shown the need for seismic retrofitting for these types of buildings. Various types of retrofitting materials (i.e., shotcrete, ECC and Fiber Reinforced Polymer sheets (FRPs)) for unreinforced masonry buildings (URM) have been developed. Engineers prefer to use FRPs, because these materials enhance the shear strength of the wall without expansion of wall sectional area and adding weight to the total structure. However, the complexity of the mechanical behavior of the masonry wall and the lack of experimental data from walls retrofitted by FRPs may cause problems for engineers to determine an appropriate retrofitting level. This paper investigate in-plane behavior of URM and retrofitted masonry walls using two different types of FRP materials to determine and provide information for the retrofitting effect of FRPs on masonry shear walls. Specimens were designed to idealize the wall of a low-rise apartment which was built in 1970s in Korea with no seismic reinforcements with an aspect ratio of 1. Retrofitting materials were carbon FRP and Hybrid sheets which have different elastic modulus and ultimate strain capacities. Consequently, this study evaluated the structural capacity of masonry shear walls and the retrofitting effect of an FRP sheet for in-plane behavior. Also, the results were compared to the results obtained from the evaluation method for a reinforced concrete beam retrofitted with FRPs.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2022

Based on the nonlinear static analysis and the approximate seismic evaluation method adopted in "Guidelines for seismic performance evaluation for existing buildings, two methods to calculate strength demand for retrofitting individual structural walls in unreinforced masonry buildings are proposed." The displacement coefficient method to determine displacement demand from nonlinear static analysis results is used for the inverse calculation of overall strength demand required to reduce the displacement demand to a target value meeting the performance objective of the unreinforced masonry building to retrofit. A preliminary seismic evaluation method to screen out vulnerable buildings, of which detailed evaluation is necessary, is utilized to calculate overall strength demand without structural analysis based on the difference between the seismic demand and capacity. A system modification factor is introduced to the preliminary seismic evaluation method to reduce the strength demand considering inelastic deformation. The overall strength demand is distributed to the structural walls to retrofit based on the wall stiffness, including the remaining walls or otherwise. Four detached residential houses are modeled and analyzed using the nonlinear static and preliminary evaluation procedures to examine the proposed method.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.247-278
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• 2010

The study of the seismic vulnerability of masonry buildings requires structural properties of walls such as stiffness, ultimate load capacity, etc. In this article, a method is suggested for modeling the masonry walls under in-plane loading. At the outset, a set of analytical equations was established for determining the elastic properties of an equivalent homogeneous material of masonry. The results for homogenized unreinforced brick walls through detailed modeling were compared in different manners such as solid and perforated walls, in-plane and out-of-plane loading, etc, and it was found that this method provides suitable accuracy in estimation of the wall linear properties. Furthermore, comparison of the results of proposed modeling with experimental out coming indicated that this model considers the non linear properties of the wall such as failure pattern, performance curve and ultimate strength, and would be appropriate to establish a parametric study on those prone factors. The proposed model is complicated; therefore, efforts need to be made in order to overcome the convergency problems which will be included in this study. The nonlinear model is basically semi-macro but through a series of actions, it can be simplified to a macro model.