NEESR-CR: Hybrid Masonry Seismic Structural Systems

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This award is an outcome of the NSF 09-524 program solicitation "George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR)" competition and includes the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (lead institution) and the University of Hawaii at Manoa (subaward) and Ryan-Biggs Associates of Troy, New York (subaward). This project will utilize the NEES equipment site at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.The research will enable a new technology for earthquake resistant design of buildings, known as hybrid masonry. This innovative concept for improved seismic performance of low to mid-rise buildings located in all earthquake prone areas, including California, relies on the structural action of special reinforced concrete masonry panels that are attached to a conventional steel frame. Interactions with the surrounding steel frame, and novel steel link connectors that can be designed to act as fuses in dissipating seismic energy, make this a promising engineered system for enhancing seismic performance at a reduced cost and impact on the environment. Research will combine large-scale testing with state of the art computational simulation to identify and discover the seismic performance of this new system. Large-scale, two-story hybrid masonry frames will be constructed and tested at the NEES equipment site at Illinois. A complementary set of steel link connector tests will be done at the University of Hawaii. Practitioner interaction is embedded into the research plan through a partnership with Ryan-Biggs Associates, who are currently designing buildings with this new technology and leading seminars to teach other engineers about this innovative system. A well defined technology transfer program with industry partnership will transform research results to earthquake engineering practice so that building owners may benefit from this research. The intellectual merit of the research will include advancements in discovery and understanding of how buildings constructed with hybrid masonry respond to earthquake motions of varying intensities as well as other lateral loadings such as strong winds or blast. The research will advance the art in structural testing since the scale and complexity of the proposed tests will set a new norm for structural masonry research. In addition, the simulation study will set a new mark in modeling mechanics of masonry and its contact with a frame under seismic loadings.With respect to broader impacts, this research will provide building developers and contractors with an economical alternative for building construction applicable to all seismic zones. It will enhance the national economy since building construction will be less expensive, and following earthquakes of the future, less damage, loss of life or business interruptions will occur. The research will also have an impact internationally as this novel new technology is transferred across borders. Moreover, this research will promote teaching of future generations of structural engineers to become more adept at engineering of such structural systems, and broaden participation of underrepresented groups in engineering by engaging them in this research field. Data from this project will be archived and made available to the public through the NEES data repository.