Influence of openings on two-way bending capacity of unreinforced masonry walls

Perforated unreinforced masonry (URM) walls in out-of-plane (OOP) two-way bending are commonly encountered in natural hazard investigations. However, related research is rather limited. This study focuses on the influence of openings on the two-way bending capacity of URM walls. An experimental database about the perforated URM walls in OOP...

Influence of aspect ratio and pre-compression on force capacity of unreinforced masonry walls in out-of-plane two-way bending

Out-of-plane (OOP) failure of unreinforced masonry (URM) walls in two-way bending was widely observed after natural hazards such as earthquakes. Of various crucial factors influencing the force capacity of URM walls in OOP two-way bending (force capacity being defined as the wall peak force in terms of pressure), the pre-compression and...

In-plane seismic behaviour of retrofitted masonry walls subjected to subsidence-induced damage

The province of Groningen in the Netherlands is experiencing the continuous impact of gas extraction in the form of induced seismicity. Due to the absence of naturally occurring seismicity in the region, the historic building stock of Groningen was constructed without empirical design features typically encountered in naturally seismic...

Blind prediction of a cyclic pushover test on a two-storey masonry assemblage: a comparative study

In recent years induced seismicity in the north of the Netherlands has considerably increased. The built environment in the region mainly consists of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings. Those buildings were not designed for seismic loads and have specific characteristics, that limit their seismic performance. In early 2017 a quasi-static...

Mechanical characterisation of wall tie connection in cavity walls

The assessment of the seismic response of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings has been a popular topic all over the world in the last decades. In recent years, induced seismicity in the north of the Netherlands increased considerably and introduced seismic risk also in this country. The built environment in the region is mainly composed by...

A multiscale experimental characterisation of Dutch unreinforced masonry buildings

In recent years, induced seismicity in the north of the Netherlands significantly increased. As a consequence, the seismic assessment of the built environment, which mainly consists of unreinforced masonry (URM) structures not designed for seismic loads, became of high relevance. Within this context, an extensive multiscale testing program has...