RAKA, EVA1; SEPE, VINCENZO2; SPACONE, ENRICO3

1) PhD student, University “G. D’Annunzio”, Pescara (Italy), Dept of Engineering and Geology, eva_raka@hotmail.com

2) Associate Professor, University “G. D’Annunzio”, Pescara (Italy), Dept of Engineering and Geology, v.sepe@unich.it

3) Full Professor and Head, University “G. D’Annunzio”, Pescara (Italy), Dept of Engineering and Geology, e.spacone@unich.it

The equivalent frame modelling for describing the in-plane non-linear behavior of masonry walls is widely used and requires the discretization of the walls into macroelements (piers, lintels, nodes). The mechanical characterization of macroelements is the crucial point that defines the specific frame approach. In this paper, the spandrels and piers of the masonry wall are modelled through elements that account for both axial-flexural and shear deformations, while the connecting nodes are assumed as rigid. The approach is investigated using the open source computational platform OpenSees that, through a section aggregator procedure, allows coupling of the flexural response, described by means of a fibre-section force-based approach, and the shear response. The approach is very simple and quite promising for both research and practice, but several open questions remain, including the calibration of constitutive laws for the masonry material under static and dynamic loads.

Keywords: masonry, macroelement, frame-equivalent model, nonlinear analysis, fibre section, OpenSees