Author

C. JAYASINGHE (1) and R.S. MALLAWAARACHCHI (2)

(1) Senior Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

(2) Post graduate research student, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The provision of sufficient lateral load resisting capacity is extremely important for masonry walls used in houses to ensure adequate resistance to the forces of nature that may occur in cyclones, earthquakes, tsunami or flooding. One of the useful strategies available for such enhancement of lateral strength of masonry walls is the provision of reinforced concrete tie beams. Since the lateral forces expected during extreme events of nature can be predicted with a reasonable accuracy, it is important to quantify the lateral load resistance that could be achieved under various tie beam arrangements possible. This paper presents a detailed analysis on enhancement of lateral load resistance of masonry walls with additional tie beams. This will allow the prediction of expected performance of masonry walls with sufficient accuracy which will facilitate the selection of cost effective arrangements to resist lateral loads.