L. Albanesi1, P. Morandi2, F. Graziotti2, T. Li Piani3, A. Penna2, and G. Magenes2
1)  European Centre for Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering – EUCENTRE
via Ferrata 1, Pavia, Italy
e-mail: luca.albanesi@eucentre.it
2)  Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture – DICAr, University of Pavia, and EUCENTRE
via Ferrata 3, Pavia, Italy
{paolo.morandi,francesco.graziotti,andrea.penna,guido.magenes}@unipv.it
3) Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geoscience, Structural Mechanics Section, TU Delft
Stevinweg 1, Delft, The Netherlands
t.lipiani@tudelft.nl

Keywords: URM piers, Bricks and blocks, In-plane cyclic tests, Database, Lateral strength.

Abstract. The lateral resistance represents one of the most significant wall parameters to be used in the seismic analyses for the design/assessment of masonry buildings. In this article, an investigation on in-plane lateral strength of URM piers has been proposed thorough a comparison between the results from codified criteria and the outcomes of several experimental in-plane cyclic tests on masonry walls. In this context, a new database collecting the results of in-plane cyclic tests on unreinforced masonry piers, carried out within different research projects, has been developed. The database consists of walls with bricks and blocks with different masonry materials (clay, lightweight aerated concrete, AAC, calcium silicate), bed-and headjoint typologies, dimensions, boundary conditions, vertical applied loads and horizontal loading history. This source of information of consistent and reliable test results represents a necessary step into the process of definition of shared rules in the European context.