Seismic behavior and retrofit masonary structures

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The major socioeconomic damages resulting from structural failures during seismic events have led to recently adopting more stringent seismic design requirements in Canada and other parts of the world to reduce the probability of such damage. In this regards, masonry structures (which constitute approximately 70% of existing inventory of buildings in North-America) are considered as particularly vulnerable to seismic damage. Many of these existing structures will need to be retrofitted to match current safety levels but this requires retrofit options that do not have serious economic impact. In addition, there is a need to develop new construction techniques to improve the performance of new masonry construction under seismic loading, reduce construction cost, and minimize economical and social losses associated with seismic events. In this research, multi-level experimental and analytical programs will be implemented to evaluate efficient and cost-effective retrofit/rehabilitation techniques and to develop related design guidelines. In the experimental program, various masonry structures and systems will be tested under different loading schemes simulating earthquake effects. The analytical program will focus on developing numerical tools capable of modeling different masonry structures under seismic loading. The objectives of the proposed research are to: 1) quantify the seismic response of masonry structures and to introduce new construction techniques to improve the seismic behavior of new masonry structures; and 2) strengthen the Canadian expertise in the field of seismic rehabilitation of existing structures by developing efficient confinement and structural integrity reinforcement, and transfer the knowledge for public use through training of 5 B.A.Sc., 4 M.A.Sc., and 1 Ph.D. students to acquire advanced knowledge and to participate in application-based research in earthquake engineering. Students will gain expertise in laboratory testing techniques and advanced numerical modeling that is highly valuable in both consulting and academia.