Noemi Maldonado

By Noemi Graciela Maldonado, Pablo Martín, Gerardo González del Solar and María Domizio

Masonry is a composite material characterised by its good behaviour under dead loads and in a nonaggressive environment. However, this noble material does not satisfactorily resist seismic loads. The different types of historical masonry that have remained over time are characterised by an adequate mixture of materials with low chemical reactions that are degrading due to environmental conditions. There are numerous historical masonry construction techniques in the world, reflecting local conditions of materials and workmanship. The key to its permanence and maintenance over time despite the effects of earthquakes is the construction technology and quality of materials used. As a result of earthquake damage observation and experimental research, various technical solutions for rehabilitation and retrofit of masonry are now available. Finite element modelling has become a very useful tool to identify the damage problem in historical masonry but requires a significant contribution of parameters obtained from destructive and nondestructive tests.

Part of the book: Heritage

By Gerardo González del Solar, María Domizio, Pablo Martín and Noemi Maldonado

Masonry is a composite material, and its behavior shows that its weaknesses lie in the minimum resistance of its components and the characteristics of the interfaces between them. Ceramic brick masonry has technological characteristics that make it suitable for housing and building functions. The bricks, of reduced dimensions and joined with mortars of variable characteristics, have the advantage of adapting to almost all construction projects considering the influence of the environment on their service life. The investigation of the structural behavior of masonry has had very significant advances in the laboratory during the last mid-century, which has allowed numerical modeling of the behavior of the material and validation of failure modes under seismic actions. The behavior of heritage masonry with thick walls differs greatly from simple masonry using conventional techniques and materials. These differences in behavior have only been confirmed through numerical simulation contrasted with experimental research. This chapter presents the numerical modeling used for simple and confined masonry with reinforced concrete and for very thick heritage masonry, using the finite element method validated with full-scale laboratory experiences.

Part of the book: Masonry for Sustainable Construction