Modelling of the in-plane behaviour of stone masonry panels

Stone masonrywalls are the most relevant structural element in the seismic response of a masonry building. Once the out-of-plane mechanism are adequately prevented, the seismic response of a building depends on the in-plane strength capacity of its walls. This paper presents a discussion on the in-plane behaviour of masonry panels with different slenderness ratios and distinct levels of compression load, subjected to shear loading, using advanced numerical simulations. The numerical study is based on an experimental campaign performed at the University of Pavia on stone masonry piers. The calibrated models were also used to carry out parametric analysis varying the geometric wall configuration and the pre-compression level. Distinct walls subjected to different stress levelswere assessed and the influence of these parameters on the in-plane behaviour is discussed.
The second author would like to express her gratitude to the National Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the PhD grant SFRH/BD/71599/2010. This work was supported by FCT, within ISISE, project UID/ECI/04029/2013.