Rigid element model for in‐plane dynamics of masonry walls considering hysteretic behaviour and damage

Abstract

A specific rigid element approach is proposed for the in-plane dynamical analysis of masonry walls, whose seismic performance is strongly related to mechanical deterioration and hysteretic energy dissipation. Since the execution of effective time-history analysis necessitates the use of discrete models with reduced number of degrees of freedom, the tricky issue lies in achieving a balance between accuracy in the geometrical description and the need for a realistic damage material model. For this reason, a mechanistic ``rigid body spring model'' RBSM was adopted, which consists of a collection of plane quadrilateral rigid elements connected to each other by two normal springs and one shear spring at each side. The material model was based on a phenomenological description of the cyclic response of masonry, and specific separate hysteretic laws were assigned for the axial and shear deformation between the elements. This separation led to a large reduction in computational effort, though a Coulomb-like law was adopted in order to relate the strength of the shear springs to the vertical axial loading. The effective performance of the present approach is demonstrated by the numerical validation and by comparisons with some well-known experimental and numerical tests presented in the literature

Structural Analysis of Masonry Historical Constructions. Classical and Advanced Approaches

“…More recent developments, as those due to Casolo and Peña [26] and Chen et al [29], show the permanent interest of this type of simplified approaches and their ability to combine satisfactory accuracy with computer efficiency.…”

“…Casolo and Peña [26] have developed a specific rigid element approach for the in-plane dynamic analysis of masonry walls. A rigid body spring model (RBSM) has been adopted consisting of a collection of plane quadrilateral rigid elements connected to each other by two normal springs and one shear spring at each side.…”

Macroscale modelling of microstructure damage evolution by a rigid body and spring model

“…Out of the range of deformation defined by the interval [S − , S + ], the skeleton curves are horizontal and correspond to a residual strength which is assumed to remain constant until the ultimate deformation is reached. These hysteretic rules are strictly derived from those already described with more detail in [Casolo 2000;Casolo and Peña 2007], based on phenomenological evidence [Naraine and Sinha 1991;Binda et al 1992; Magenes Table 1. Parameters assigned to the material components of the masonry-like RVE: p t | 0 is the initial hydrostatic tension strength of the material, while φ and ϑ are the material angle of friction and the dilatation angle, respectively.…”

“…The linear elastic characteristics of the three line springs that connect the elements at each side can be defined either by the relationship with a corresponding continuum or by a direct computational approach [Casolo 2006]. To describe the mean damage evolution of the material, a heuristic approach was initially proposed in [Boffi and Casolo 1998], and then in [Casolo and Peña 2007], based on the phenomenological consideration of the main in-plane damage mechanisms that can be described at the mesoscale.…”

Limit Analysis Approach for the Seismic Vulnerability Reduction of Masonry Towers Through Strengthening With Traditional and Innovative Materials

“…Different levels of analysis, such as FE (finite element) analyses [4]- [9], rigid elements [10], Limit Analysis (LA) [11] and simplified models [7], [12], are available in the literature. As regards the towers performance upgrading, very few cases that could be found consist of horizontal and vertical tied rods, which are used to increase the global structural capacity under horizontal loads, [13], [14].…”