An Experimental and Numerical Investigation of an Unreinforced Brick Masonry Structure Subjected to Base Excitation

The present work is focused on studying the behavior of unreinforced brick masonry (URBM) structure under the seismic loading. A single story unreinforced brick masonry structure was made on a shake table with a scale of 1:4. Based on the experimental findings, the failure of the URBM structure happened at frequency of 62.5 cycle per second (cps) which means the resonant frequency of the structure was 62.5 cps. Besides, the highest acceleration and displacement occurred at frequency 62.5 cps leading to confirming the resonance at the same frequency. The failure pattern of URBM structure is like a stair step that means in-plane failure has developed in the mortar. In addition, the numerical analysis of the same building was performed using the SAP2000 finite element software. A time history analysis was conducted using elastic properties of the brick masonry building. The numerical and experimental results of peak acceleration and displacement were obtained at the roof level of the structure with respect to the varying base excitation. Consequently, the numerical results corresponded well with the experimental outcomes.