Development of a Practical Approach for Modeling of Unreinforced Masonry Buildings

At different parts of the world, there are many unreinforced masonry buildings have been constructed for different uses. Studies have shown the insufficiency in the design and performance of these buildings. Proper a modeling approach for nonlinear analyses of masonry buildings and seismic assessment of these buildings is necessary. This study presents a practical approach to model unreinforced masonry building. This approach considers the effects of including the lateral resistance of masonry walls in resisting seismic loads. The main aim of this article is showing the utility and efficiency of a simple method in the explanation of the behaviour of masonry buildings subjected to seismic loads. The simple models are essential because they provide easy and accessible understanding of the structural response. This approach was used to assess a common type of masonry building as a representative building of Iranian masonry schools. The results of static and dynamic nonlinear analyses show this approach offers a good balance between simplicity and accuracy and can be used for nonlinear analyses and seismic assessment of these buildings.