Click here to read the final report of the MASONRY ENCLOSURES project.

Videos from MASONRY ENCLOSURES tests: Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, Video 4

A concise presentation of the project's aim and progress is available at the Joint brochure of the SERIES TA facilities.

TITLE OF PROPOSAL: Assessment of innovative solutions for non-load bearing masonry enclosures

HOST TA FACILITY: LNEC, Lisbon, Portugal

TA AGREEMENT BETWEEN USERS AND FACILITY: December 2009

STARTING DATE: January 2012

END DATE: May 2014 (estimated)

NO. OF USERS (researchers): 4

LEAD USER:
Elizabeth Vintzileou - National Technical University of Athens (Greece)

ADDITIONAL USERS:
Paulo B. Lourenço - University of Minho (Portugal)
Guido Magenes - University of Pavia (Italy)
Miha Tomazevic - Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute 

 

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RESEARCH:

Masonry enclosures are the most used non-structural element in buildings, having several functional and structural requirements. A comfortable and safe internal environment must be provided, namely with respect to temperature, noise, moisture and fire. Furthermore, non-load-bearing walls have to be checked against wind loads, seismic action and accidental loads (namely gas explosions).
The proposed project is intended to focus on the seismic performance assessment of traditional and innovated masonry enclosures of European countries with moderate and high seismicity (Greece, Portugal, Italy and Slovenia). Two prototypes were defined. Prototype A and Prototype B represent, respectively, a reinforced concrete building with traditional and immediate future systems of masonry enclosures.
The experimental models were defined to 1:1.5 reduced scale, taking into account Cauchy’s law of similitude. The tests are to be carried out in a shaking table with three-directional motions, in order to induce the simultaneous in-plane and out-of-plane response of the walls.
The results of the tests will allow the determination of the performance levels, based in the quantification of different damage levels and limitation of interstory drift.
It is expected that the innovated masonry systems improve the seismic performance of the enclosures, preventing the cracking and the out-of-plane collapse observed in the traditional masonry enclosures, as showed the earthquakes in the past.
The project aims directly at providing design tables and design methods, able to respond to the EC8 requirements.