Full-scale shake-table tests of URM buildings subjected to induced ground motions

Abstract

This paper discusses the results of three dynamic shake-table tests, performed on full-scale unreinforced masonry buildings without specific seismic detailing. The testing program is part of a wider research project aimed at assessing the seismic vulnerability of buildings typical of the Groningen region, located in Northeast of the Netherlands. This area, historically not prone to tectonic ground motions, in the recent years has been subjected to earthquakes induced by reservoir depletion due to gas extraction. The first building specimen simulated the end-unit of a two-story terraced house, built with unreinforced cavity walls. These walls were composed of an inner load-bearing leaf, made of calcium silicate bricks supporting the floors, and an outer veneer, made of clay bricks with aesthetic and weather-protection function. The two leafs were interconnected by distributed metal ties. The floors consisted of reinforced concrete slabs, providing rigid diaphragms in their plane. The pitched roof was made of longitudinal timber purlins, supported by end gables perpendicular to the shaking direction, and wood boards. The second specimen was a replica of the second story and the attic of the first building, with identical details for walls, slab, and roof framing tested to study the collapse mechanism. The third specimen represented instead a one-story detached pre-1940s house, built with double-wythe unreinforced clay masonry walls. The prototype structure was designed to include large openings and a re-entrant corner, causing significant horizontal irregularities. The first floor was made of timber beams and planks, resulting in a flexible diaphragm. The steep-pitch roof consisted of a series of timber trusses connected by wood purlins and boards. The two façades perpendicular to the shaking direction were designed in order to represent two common gable geometries.