Hinging Mechanisms of Masonry Single-Nave Barrel Vaults Subjected to Lateral and Gravity Loads
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 143, Issue 6
Abstract
This paper investigates the limit states of a circular masonry arch supported on rectangular buttresses when subjected to lateral inertial loading in addition to gravity loading by employing the principle of stationary potential energy. Depending on the slenderness of the arch compared to the slenderness of the buttresses, the study identifies two lower failure mechanisms: (1) a four-hinge mechanism within the arch alone; and (2) hinging of the arch in three locations together with a hinge at the base of the downstream buttress. In this analysis, radial ruptures are assumed for the arch, while the buttresses may rupture either horizontally or develop an oblique elongation failure along which the compression-free portion of the buttress separates. It is concluded that the hinging mechanism that triggers an oblique elongation failure of the downstream buttress is the most critical and initiates at a lower value of the seismic coefficient than the value associated with the mechanism that involves a horizontal fracture at the buttress. Finally, it is shown that the discrete-element method (DEM) captures the results of the proposed variational method with remarkable accuracy.
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Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 6 • June 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 23, 2016
Accepted: Nov 29, 2016
Published online: Feb 14, 2017
Published in print: Jun 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Jul 14, 2017
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