Experimental Study of the In-Plane Behavior of Confined Stone Masonry Walls

Abstract

Stone masonry construction is still a common practice in remote mountainous areas of many developing countries. Field investigations have shown that the traditional construction practices do not usually provide adequate seismic resistance for such buildings. This study was carried out to investigate and improve the construction of single-story stone masonry buildings in terms of safety in extreme events, economy, and ease of construction. The current construction methods were first studied through field investigations, and their deficiencies were identified. Then, improved stone masonry walls were designed that provide some confinement for the masonry by adding steel and reinforced-concrete tie-beams and tie-columns. The in-plane behavior of these walls was then studied experimentally. A total of seven stone masonry walls with different configurations of confining elements and openings were examined. These studies revealed the benefits of using steel and concrete confining elements for the improvement of in-plane strength and ductility of stone masonry walls, concrete elements being considerably more effective. Finally, a simple hysteretic model is calibrated based on the test results that can be used for numerical modeling of the in-plane behavior of confined stone masonry walls.