Author
A AHMAD(1), K MOIN(2) and M QAMARUDDIN(3)
(1) Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi-110025, India
(2) Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi-110025, India
(3) Emeritus Fellow, Department of Civil Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi-110025, India

Abstract
Masonry buildings in India are vulnerable to damage as most of them are un-engineered / semi-engineered and were conceptualized without actual seismic analysis. For this reason, it would be easy to argue that the construction of un-reinforced masonry buildings in the regions of high seismic activity should be avoided. However, masonry being traditional, is easily available and economical and hence constitutes more than half stock of the rural/semi urban buildings, and is expected to continue to be widely used especially for construction of residential buildings. In order to improve the behaviour of masonry structures under seismic forces, strengthening measures with emphasis on minimum use of reinforcing steel, are being employed. The concerns posed by existing masonry structures are to check their stability and strengths against seismic forces and to suggest the strengthening measures needed based on proper analysis.

Key words
Brick Masonry, Demand Capacity Ratio, Vulnerability