Orthotropic Cyclic Continuum Constitutive Model For Masonry Structures And Comparative Studies

There is a very popular fable, dating back to the early 1800s, about three little pigs that build their houses of different materials and a wolf that tries to catch them by blowing down their houses. From the three houses built from straws, sticks or bricks, only the house made out of bricks withstands the blow of the wolf. Although the moral of...

Experimental characterisation and mechanical modelling of connection details in traditional Groningen houses

Post-earthquake structural damage shows that out-of-plane wall collapse is one of the most prevalent failure mechanisms in unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings. This issue is particularly critical in Groningen, a province located in the northern part of the Netherlands, where low-intensity ground shaking has occurred since 1991 due to gas...

Parametric numerical study on two-way bending capacity of unreinforced masonry walls: Evaluation of the influence of geometric parameters to improve analytical formulations

Investigations on unreinforced masonry (URM) walls subjected to natural hazards, such as earthquakes and wind loads, identify the out-of-plane (OOP) failure as one of the most common failure mechanisms. Concerning the OOP failure, two types of failure mechanisms can be distinguished in URM walls: one-way bending in which lateral edges of walls...

Material characterisation of existing masonry: A strategy to determine strength, stiffness and toughness properties for structural analysis

Understanding the behaviour of unreinforced masonry (URM) structures requires in-depth insight into the mechanical properties of its constituents and their interaction under compression, tension, and shear loading. As a result, a complete picture of masonry characteristics, accounting for its full nonlinear response and its statistical...

Simulating quasi-brittle failure in structures using Sequentially Linear Methods: Studies on non-proportional loading, constitutive modelling, and computational efficiency

Sequentially Linear Analysis (SLA) is a proven robust alternative to incremental-iterative solution methods in nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA) of quasi-brittle specimen. The core of the method is in its departure from a load, displacement or arc-length driven incremental approach (aided by internal iterations to establish equilibrium)...

From sequentially linear analysis to incremental sequentially linear analysis: Robust algorithms for solving the non-linear equations of structures of quasi-brittle materials

It is difficult to accurately predict the strength of masonry and concrete structures. The most widely used method for simulating their behaviour is finite element analysis with the Newton-Raphson method and arch length control. However, the Newton-Raphson method can diverge and not produce a result, for example in bifurcations or during snap...

Form Follows Force: A theoretical framework for Structural Morphology, and Form-Finding research on shell structures

With the springing up of freeform architectures, the key problem to structural engineers is to generate structural forms with high structural efficiency subject to the architectural space constraints during the conceptual design process. In this research, a theoretical framework for Structural Morphology has been proposed, that provides an...

Sequentially linear analysis for simulating brittle failure

The numerical simulation of brittle failure at structural level with nonlinear finite<br/>element analysis (NLFEA) remains a challenge due to robustness issues. We attribute these problems to the dimensions of real-world structures combined with softening behavior and negative tangent stiffness at local level which may lead to non-convergence, i...

Propagation and band width of smeared cracks

The crack band approach (in the smeared crack concept) is widely used for the modeling of concrete fracture and is an important analysis technique within advanced engineering. However, the simulations can be impeded by mesh-induced directional bias. Cracks prefer to propagate along continuous mesh lines, which causes a dependency of the...

Modelling of settlement induced building damage

This thesis focuses on the modelling of settlement induced damage to masonry buildings. In densely populated areas, the need for new space is nowadays producing a rapid increment of underground excavations. Due to the construction of new metro lines, tunnelling activity in urban areas is growing. One of the consequences is a greater attention to...

Prototype of a diagnostic decision support tool for structural damage in masonry

This prototype of a diagnostic decision support tool for structural damage in traditional masonry is the result of a PhD research project. The research project has aimed to improve and facilitate the diagnostic process by offering support in the initial phase in which hypotheses are generated. The more precise hypotheses are formulated, and the...

Structural damage in masonry: Developing diagnostic decision support

This thesis deals with the diagnosis of structural damage in traditional masonry: cracks, deformations and tilts. Establishing the cause of this type of damage can be difficult. This research project has aimed to improve and facilitate the diagnostic process by offering support in the initial phase in which hypotheses are generated. The more...

Fragile yet Ductile: Structural Aspects of Reinforced Glass Beams

This dissertation investigates the structural aspects of reinforced glass beams. The concept of these beams, which are intended for building applications, is to provide redundancy even if the glass is broken. This redundancy is obtained through a small reinforcement section that is bonded at the tensile edge of the glass beam. Upon glass failure...

Safety Concepts in Structural Glass Engineering: Towards an Integrated Approach

This dissertation proposes the Integrated Approach to Structural Glass Safety, based on four clearly defined element safety properties, damage sensitivity, relative resistance, redundancy, and fracture mode. The Element Safety Diagram (ESD) is introduced to provide an easy-to-read graphical representation of these properties. The safety...

Building response due to ground movements

Computational Modelling of Masonry Creep and Shrinkage