Simplified calculation of the load-distortion basal capacity curve in low-rise buildings made of confined masonry and located in areas of high seismic danger

Abstract

The document presents a methodology to evaluate the shear capacity curve in confined masonry structures. The collapse hypotheses are: diagonal stress in the masonry and shear in vertical confining elements (VCE). The masonry and VCE are replaced by springs forming a one degree of freedom system. The simplified curve has 5 points, each one associated with a damage level and was calibrated with experimental results of 3D walls and structures. Accuracy increases for defined ranges of mechanical and geometric properties of masonry and VCE. The application in four constructions between one and three levels shows the capacity of the method in the rapid calculation of the resistant curve, indicating over-resistance factors ranging from 2.20-4.50 in the long direction, 1.40-3.70 in the short direction. The maximum resistant shear occurs with distortions between 0.0025 to 0.0034. The model has a similar approximation to that obtained with nonlinear analysis.