Virtual experiment of a confined masonry panel

MARTA B. ROSALES; PATRICIA M. BELLES; JUAN CHIERCHIE

Espiritu Santo, Brasil

Congreso; XXVI Iberian Latin-american Congress on Computational Methods in Engineering (CILAMCE 2005); 2005

ABMEC and AMC

 Masonry walls collaborate in the structures of buildings, houses and industrial buildings. The walls or panels may be confined or not, though the first ones represent the major interest. Their behavior is complex and difficult to be predicted with certain degree of reliability. Given its degree of sophistication and the apparent economical advantages the finite element analysis appears as a rational and effective tool to perform virtual structural studies of the masonry panels. Many authors have lately developed specific software in this regard. However these programs are sometimes too involved or are not available to the practicing engineer. In this study the stress is put in the use of standard commercial FEM software of common use among the structural engineers. The case of a confined panel is approached through a 3D model that allows the consideration of effects that were neglected in previous studies. A non-linear material model available in the software is employed. Virtual experiment are performed applying lateral loads through concentrated forces or prescribed displacements. Load-displacement curves are obtained showing the progressive stiffness reduction. Comparisons with other models (discrete, linear orthotropic, nonlinear 2D with Drucker-Prager material) are presented and the influence of the many involved variables discussed.