Computed versus Observed Seismic Response and Damage of Masonry Buildings

Abstract

The behavior of and damage inflicted on stone‐masonry buildings during the Kalamata, Greece, earthquake of 1986 is studied statistically and analytically. Damage is shown to be almost statistically uncorrelated to the structural geometry of the building and its walls. The response of three typical two‐story buildings to the recorded ground motion is analyzed, assuming linear elasticity and employing three different idealizations of the structure: (1) Elaborate modeling in three dimensions by the finite element method; (2) idealization as a space frame; and (3) a crude shear‐beam type of approximation. In the first two modeling approaches, both in‐plane stresses and out‐of‐plane bending are taken into account. The three models are assessed on the basis of their ability to predict the location and severity of damage. Finite element analysis is the only reliable procedure among the three alternatives studied. The results from the finite element method also show that out‐of‐plane bending and the transfer of out‐of‐plane lateral loads to the transverse walls cause most of the damage.