Using DEM to Investigate Boundary Conditions for Rocking URM Facades Subjected to Earthquake Motion
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 11
Abstract
Façade overturning is a frequently observed collapse mechanism occurring in unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings during high-intensity, earthquake-induced shaking. Following complete separation from a building, the rocking motion of a URM façade and the associated impact against the return walls are the factors that continue to contribute to the façade out-of-plane capacity. Seismic vulnerability studies of URM façades have historically neglected the interaction between building earthquake response and the rocking response of the façade, whereas in the study reported herein this interaction was analyzed using the discrete element modeling (DEM) approach, resulting in a façade out-of-plane capacity reduction. The increment in the dynamic rocking capacity caused by the frictional connection between the URM façade and the building was also analyzed and is reported.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This project was partially supported by QuakeCoRE, a New Zealand Tertiary Education Commission-funded Centre. This is QuakeCoRE publication number 634. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the software 3DEC provided by Itasca consulting group under the Itasca Educational Partnership program. Use was made in this paper of a solid geometry generation tool developed by Dr. Daniele Malomo (MDRG-Matthew DeJong Research Group, University of California, Berkeley), who is gratefully acknowledged.
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Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 11 • November 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 1, 2020
Accepted: Jul 9, 2021
Published online: Sep 2, 2021
Published in print: Nov 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Feb 2, 2022
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