Influence of Adhered Masonry façade on Seismic Response of Buildings

Abstract

Observations obtained in the course of previous earthquakes and studies performed by different researchers indicate the influence of cladding (façade) on seismic performance of structure. there is a dearth of technical knowledge in this field and no proper understanding exists of the actual response of different facade systems to earthquakes, and few studies, especially in Iran, have conducted about how building facade is damaged and about the performance analysis. As a matter of fact, even considering the cladding as non-structural members, those will interact with the encompassing frame during strong earthquakes, and these interactions can alter seismic performance of the structure. This is even more important when it comes to concrete frames wherein material properties and cladding arrangement along the structure height impose significant impacts on the failure mode and failure mechanism of the encompassing frame. In the present paper, three-, five-, and nine-story frames with conventional moment-resisting systems were analyzed using OpenSees Software by considering two typical façades in Iran, namely brick-finished and granite-finished structures. Results of the analysis show that, materials and cladding arrangement impose significant impact on the wall stiffness, distribution of seismic forces by elements, and lateral displacement of the structure. Moreover, it is observed that, with increasing the number of stories, effects of cladding on the structure behavior and performance decrease gradually.

Keywords

• masonry façade
• drift
• stiffness
• seismic response
• infill walls