Abstract:
The analysis of the shaking table test of a 3-wall stone masonry structure performed with a discrete
element model is presented. The numerical model, created with the code 3DEC, employed a rigid
block representation and a Mohr-Coulomb joint model. Joint stiffness calibration to match the
experimental natural frequencies is discussed, as well as the boundary conditions to simulate the
shake table. Comparisons are made with themeasured displacements at key locations, and themodes
of deformation and fracture of the walls. The DEM model was able to reproduce important features of
the shaking table tests. The experimental deformation and near collapse patterns were clearly
identifiable in the numerical simulations, which produced displacements within the observed orders
of magnitude, for the various levels of excitation.