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Seismic assessment of in-plane URM walls
Principal Researcher: Associate
Professor Jason Ingham
Students involved: Alistair
Russell, Aaron Wilson, Claudio Oyarzo Vera, Ronald Lumantarna.
It has been identified that in New Zealand, unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings pose the greatest risk of structural collapse in an earthquake. This study focuses primarily on the first stage of the overall research programme, and aims to improve understanding in the assessment of the seismic performance of URM buildings in New Zealand. Without the precise assessment of a building's expected seismic performance, overly conservative and costly retrofit solutions must be implemented, which are less appealing to a building owner. Demolition of the structure and replacement with a new code-conforming structure may seem more attractive, but this fails to recognise the heritage value to the community of the original building. Accurate assessment of the existing structure will ensure that interventions to improve the building's seismic performance are both cost-effective and harmonious with its architectural heritage. This research is an integral component within the scope of the wider Seismic Retrofit Solutions programme, with the specific task of ensuring the viability and appropriateness of the proposed retrofit solutions. This facilitating of suitable retrofits will provide confidence that the developed solutions can be instituted appropriately and effectively within New Zealand’s heritage URM building stock.
The primary aims of this study are to:
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Improve accuracy in assessing the existing seismic performance of New Zealand heritage URM buildings.
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Provide a framework for proposed seismic retrofit solutions, and to ensure that they are appropriate in terms of cost-effectiveness and compatibility with the heritage fabric of the structure.
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Experimentation to investigate the response of in-plane URM walls to induced seismic forces. In particular, the interaction of in-plane and out-of-plane walls (so-called “flange-effects”) will be considered in detail.