Seismic assessment of a URM building and effect of floor diaphragm stiffness

Abstract

The seismic behaviour of a previously calibrated Finite Element Model of a typical vintage unreinforced masonry building from the end of XIX century found in Lisbon, Portugal, was investigated using Time History Analysis and Pushover Analysis. The response of the building was analysed using DIANA software package and strain maps were obtained in order to identify the global failure mode, potential local damage and localised failure modes of the subject building. A subsequent comparison between the results obtained with the two analysis methods determined the pros and cons of each method and assisted in establishing the confidence level when using Pushover Analysis in comparison with Time History Analysis. Finally, a parametric analysis was carried out, using both Time History Analysis and Pushover Analysis on models that featured floor diaphragms with different stiffness values, to investigate the effect of the floor diaphragms stiffness on the overall response of the building.