Title: Seismic out-of-plane behaviour of unreinforced AAC walls

Authors: Moritz Lönhoff; Hamid Sadegh-Azar

Addresses: Department of Civil Engineering, Institute of Structural Analysis and Dynamics, TU Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany ' Department of Civil Engineering, Institute of Structural Analysis and Dynamics, TU Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany

Abstract: Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) is a building material widely used in many countries around the world. In earthquake prone areas, unreinforced masonry walls also need to be designed for earthquake scenarios. In this load case, the out-of-plane loads often have a significant impact on the load-bearing capacity. In most practical applications, simplified analytical methods are used to determine the out-of-plane capacity. The estimations of these models are often inaccurate as essential parameters like the vertical stiffness of the support and dynamic effects are neglected. To investigate the influence of these parameters, experimental tests have been performed on a shaking table. Numerical analyses have been carried out to determine the deformation response of the wall using non-linear single-degree-of-freedom systems. The results obtained from analytical models have been compared with experimentally determined maximum acceptable earthquake accelerations. Based on the results, the out-of-plane capacity is significantly higher than predicted by analytical models.

Keywords: out-of-plane behaviour; vertical stiffness; shaking table tests; analytical analysis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMRI.2020.106304

International Journal of Masonry Research and Innovation, 2020 Vol.5 No.2, pp.209 - 225

Received: 24 Nov 2018
Accepted: 11 Feb 2019
Published online: 02 Apr 2020 *

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