Author

MÁRCIO R. S. CORRÊA (1), ADRIAN W. PAGE (2), YAN HAN (2) and MARK MASIA (2)

(1) School of Engineering of São Carlos –The University of São Paulo – Brazil

(2) Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment – The University of Newcastle – Australia

Abstract

Despite the common use of walls as bracing systems in masonry buildings, limited research has been carried out on the behaviour of masonry panels with openings, especially for unreinforced walls. This paper deals with such walls subjected to vertical and in-plane horizontal loadings, focusing on the coupling effect of the material over the openings. The study starts with a brief discussion of the system structural behaviour and the alternatives for its numerical simulation. A series of tests is described, starting with a single panel without openings and then two panels with openings with the piers each side of the opening having the same dimensions as the single panel. The paper discusses the performance of the panels in relation to the observed strength as well as the failure modes. Experimental and theoretical results are compared, showing the accuracy of the numerical models used in the study.