Effect of TSL on the Seismic Performance of Unconfined Maonry Structures

Abstract

Brick masonry is the most prevalent method of construction in the construction industry. Masonry structures are weak in resisting out of plane loading. Pakistan is among the most earthquake prone regions of the world. The seismic performance of masonry structures can be enhanced through confinement. There are various confinement techniques being effectively used in masonry to enhance their seismic performance. Thin Spry on Liners (TSLs) is a technique which is being extensively used in underground excavations to enhance the ductile behavior of support structures through confinement. The technique has not been introduced in structures as of yet. In this project, the effect of confinement by TSL on seismic performance of scaled masonry building structure will be studied. The study is being carried out in two parts. In part 1: Two buildings of similar geometry have been modeled in ETABS. Material model of one building includes the effect of TSL while the other is without TSL. The results of the analysis indicate that the performance of the structure improves with inclusion of effects of TSL. The results of analysis will be useful in part 2 of the project. In part 2: Two models of scale 1:3 are being prepared. One of these will be confined with TSL and other will be unconfined. These two models will be tested on shaking table under application of same ground acceleration. The comparison of the results will quantify the contribution of the TSL in enhancing the performance of the masonry structure. The experimental results will be compared with analytical results. The conclusion of this project will be very helpful in understanding the effects of TSLs on masonry structures. It will open new avenues of research for academia and develop interest for industry to use the effectiveness of TSL in real life structures. This report presents the data of part 1 of the project and construction activity of scaled models to be tested on shaking table