Steel framed structures, with unreinforced masonry infill panels, make up a significant proportion of residential buildings in seismically active regions (e.g. Japan, China, Turkey, Iran, California), as well as a substantial amount of the world's governmental and public buildings. When subjected to strong earthquake loads, these structures are at high risk of heavy damage, due to the complex interaction of the unreinforced masonry infills and its surrounding frame. Thus, such structures are among the dominant causes of structural failure and casualty.
This project focuses on the seismic response of mid-rise masonry infilled panels surrounded by steel frames. The Vulnerability and Fragility of mentioned structures will be investigated following various analysis methods such as Static Push-Over (SPO), Nonlinear Time History Analysis (NLTHA) and Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA). Furthermore, by developing highly detailed models of existing buildings, the effect of construction quality will be simulated and implemented to achieve realistic models.
Funding: UCL Graduate Research Scholarship and UCL Overseas Research Scholarship
Epicentre Staff Involved: Arash Nassirpour, Dina D'Ayala, Tiziana Rossetto