Experimental response of non-seismically designed URM buildings subjected to induced seismicity

Abstract

The response of three full-scale unreinforced masonry buildings, without specific seismic detailing, as observed in shake table testing at LNEC for a seismic action representative of induced seismicity, is presented. The first building specimen simulated the upper floor and roof of the end-unit of a two-storey terraced house, built with unreinforced cavity walls, a reinforced concrete slab and a pitched timber roof. The second specimen was a replica of the roof of the first building. The third specimen represented instead a one-story detached pre-1940’s house, built with double-wythe unreinforced clay masonry walls, a timber floor and a steep-pitch roof supported on timber trusses. The specimens were tested up to partial collapse or near-collapse conditions. This paper summarises the main characteristics of the specimens and their experimental results, illustrating their dynamic response and the evolution of damage.