Learning from Failure of a Long Curved Veneer Wall: Structural Analysis and Repair
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Volume 27, Issue 1
Abstract
Masonry remains the most used material for enclosure and partition walls. However, cracking often occurs in unreinforced masonry walls under service conditions, and little information can be found about systemic approaches in real case studies. Here, attention is given to a large building faced with a fired clay brick masonry veneer that exhibited significant out-of-plane movements only 1.5 years after construction. During the operation of dismounting part of the veneer, partial collapse occurred. The veneer wall, with an elliptical shape, 240 m length and 15 m height, presented no movement joints and insufficient tying. Irreversible expansion of the fired clay brick masonry was expected to be the main reason for the damage. The combination of inspection work (visual inspection, pull-out tests, and topographic survey) and advanced structural analysis with finite elements allowed an understanding of the damage and a repair solution at a fraction of the cost of demolishing and rebuilding a new veneer.
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Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 27 • Issue 1 • February 2013
Pages: 53 - 64
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 21, 2011
Accepted: Nov 2, 2011
Published online: Nov 4, 2011
Published in print: Feb 1, 2013
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