Abstract:
Pushover analysis is a popular technique to determine the displacement capacity and failure mechanisms of assemblies of building components or global building behaviour. As pushover analysis is often used for the assessment of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings, there is a need to benchmark existing modelling frameworks against large scale testing in order to assist in the development of best practice guidelines. Hence, a study was performed to assess the suitability of existing pushover analysis techniques to represent the in-plane response of a clay brick URM building frame. Utilising material and geometrical properties determined from in-situ measurements and laboratory testing, a “blind” pushover analysis of a three-storey frame from an early 1900s URM building located in central Auckland, New Zealand was performed using the SAP2000TM (2011) software package and following national and international assessment guidelines. The results obtained from the simulated pushover analysis were compared to those obtained from experimental in-situ pushover testing of the building frame, and recommendations regarding the in-plane pushover analysis of URM frames were made based on the results.
