Yu-Cheng1 Hsu, T.Y. Yang and Svetlana Brzev
Yu-Cheng1 Hsu, PhD student, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of British Columbia, 6250 Applied Science Ln #2002, Vancouver, BC, Canada, ychsu11@mail.ubc.ca
T.Y. Yang, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of British Columbia, 6250 Applied Science Ln #2002, Vancouver, BC, Canada, yang@civil.ubc.ca
Svetlana Brzev, Adjunct Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of British Columbia, 6250 Applied Science Ln #2002, Vancouver, BC, Canada, sbrzev@mail.ubc.ca
ABSTRACT
Reinforced masonry (RM) has been used in Canada for more than 50 years, mostly for construction of low- and mid-rise buildings. The National Building Code of Canada 2015 (NBC 2015) permits the use of Ductile Shear Wall class for tall masonry buildings, but the height limit was set to 60 m at sites with moderate seismic hazard and 40 m for high seismic hazard sites. Only a few tall (15+ storey high) RM buildings have been constructed in Canada to date, mostly at sites with low to moderate seismic hazard. This paper provides an overview of past research studies on seismic response of Tall Reinforced Masonry (TRM) shear walls, and the governing parameters which are expected to influence their seismic response. The review also covers research on TRM buildings at the system level, and includes the studies on TRMs subjected to quasi-static loading and shaking table testing. Hybrid simulation approach has been proposed as an alternative to alternative seismic testing methods for TRM buildings. Hybrid simulation offers an opportunity for gaining an insight into the seismic response of entire TRM buildings by performing physical testing of portions of a single TRM wall, while the effect all other building components are simulated numerically. The authors are currently performing a comprehensive research program at the University of British Columbia to study the seismic response of TRM buildings subjected to earthquake excitation through hybrid simulation. This is believed to be the first application of hybrid technology in a research study on TRM wall structures in Canada and internationally.
KEYWORDS: reinforced masonry, shear walls, tall buildings, seismic design, seismic behaviour, hybrid testing
