Seismic behaviour of masonry buildings with timber diaphragms

Existing masonry buildings are very frequently part of the architectural context for several countries all over the world. These constructions often feature masonry walls as vertical structural elements, and timber floors and roofs as horizontal components. The often poor characteristics of masonry, along with the in-plane flexibility of the...

Optimizing Seismic Capacity of Existing Masonry Buildings by Retrofitting Timber Floors: Wood-Based Solutions as a Dissipative Alternative to Rigid Concrete Diaphragms

The inadequate seismic performance of existing masonry buildings is often linked to the excessively low in-plane stiffness of timber diaphragms and the poor quality of their connections to the walls. However, relevant past studies and seismic events have also shown that rigid diaphragms could be detrimental for existing buildings and do not...

Dissipative properties of timber diaphragms strengthened with plywood panels

In the field of seismic retrofitting, a common intervention to improve box-like behaviour in an existing building is the strengthening and stiffening of existing timber floors and roofs. However, these retrofitting methods should be carefully applied, because they change the static scheme and the buildings' response to earthquakes....

Comparing In-Plane Equivalent Shear Stiffness of Timber Diaphragms Retrofitted with Light and Reversible Wood-Based Techniques

In-plane behavior of timber diaphragms is usually characterized by means of an equivalent shear stiffness. However, this value depends on how the stiffness of the floors is evaluated from the experimental tests. Although an increasing number of research studies have provided a deeper insight into the seismic characterization of as-built and...

Modelling flexible timber diaphragms in masonry buildings subjected to seismic excitations

Gas extraction has caused increased seismic activity in the area of Groningen, bringing about considerable damage to houses. The houses are generally old masonry houses with flexible timber diaphragms. It is of importance to assess the response of these houses in order to apply proper retrofit measures. There has been substantial research on...

Impact on Seismic Capacity of Unreinforced Masonry Houses- by varying the Geometrical Parameters of Terraced House

Test report on cyclic behaviour of replicated timber diaphragms representing a detached house

The in-plane strength and stiffness as well as the hysteretic behaviour of timber diaphragms is investigated by performing quasi-static cyclic tests. In this report the behaviour of traditional timber floors and roof configurations was studied representing a typical detached masonry house. The configurations are based on a case study from a...