Numerical Modelling of Traditional Buildings Composed of Timber Frames and Masonry Walls under Seismic Loading

Existing heritage buildings are often composed of diverse materials and structural typologies, representing a challenge for structural analysis tasks. This work investigates the combined use of simple Lumped Plasticity Models (LPM) and macro-mechanical Finite Element (FE) approaches to evaluate the seismic response of structures composed of timber frames and masonry walls. The calibration of these engineering models is derived from a wide set of nonlinear static analyses reproducing benchmark experiments on timber and masonry specimens. The LPM and FE models are used eventually to appraise the seismic response of two existing timber-masonry hybrid buildings, located in the historical centre of Valparaiso, Chile. The nonlinear analyses performed with these models predict the acceleration-displacement capacity of the buildings under seismic-like horizontal loading, revealing their potential local and global failure mechanisms.

Automated summary

This study investigates the use of simple Lumped Plasticity Models (LPM) and macro-mechanical Finite Element (FE) approaches to evaluate the seismic response of heritage buildings composed of timber frames and masonry walls. The calibration of these engineering models is derived from a wide set of nonlinear static analyses reproducing benchmark experiments. The study also applies the models to assess the seismic response of two existing timber-masonry hybrid buildings in Valparaiso, Chile.