Graça Vasconcelos

Ultrasonic evaluation of the physical and mechanical properties of granites

Masonry is the oldest building material that survived until today, being used all over the world and being present in the most impressive historical structures as an evidence of spirit of enterprise of ancient cultures. Conservation, rehabilitation and strengthening of the built heritage and protection of human lives are clear demands of modern societies. In this process, the use of nondestructive methods has become much common in the diagnosis of structural integrity of masonry elements. With respect to the evaluation of the stone condition, the ultrasonic pulse velocity is a simple and economical tool. Thus, the central issue of the present paper concerns the evaluation of the suitability of the ultrasonic pulse velocity method for describing the mechanical and physical properties of granites (range size between 0.1-4.0 mm and 0.3-16.5 mm) and for the assessment of its weathering state. The mechanical properties encompass the compressive and tensile strength and modulus of elasticity, and the physical properties include the density and porosity. For this purpose, measurements of the longitudinal ultrasonic pulse velocity with distinct natural frequency of the transducers were carried out on specimens with different size and shape. A discussion of the factors that induce variations on the ultrasonic velocity is also provided. Additionally, statistical correlations between ultrasonic pulse velocity and mechanical and physical properties of granites are presented and discussed. The major output of the work is the confirmation that ultrasonic pulse velocity can be effectively used as a simple and economical nondestructive method for a preliminary prediction of mechanical and physical properties, as well as a tool for the assessment of the weathering changes of granites that occur during the serviceable life. This is of much interest due to the usual difficulties in removing specimens for mechanical characterization.

In-Plane Experimental Behavior of Stone Masonry Walls under Cyclic Loading

Stone masonry is the oldest building material that survived until today, being used all over the world, particularly in impressive historic structures as an evidence of the achievements of ancient cultures. Stone walls are usually understood as structural elements able to withstand compression but they can also act as elements that provide resistance against in-plane wind and earthquake actions. Still, only a few experimental investigations are available in the literature, regarding the in-plane behavior of stone masonry walls under cyclic loading. The present work aims at obtaining a better insight on the behavior of stone masonry walls under cyclic in-plane loads. For this purpose, 23 walls were tested under different vertical normal stress level and different bond arrangement that represent typical walls typologies. The experimental results indicate these two factors play an important role on the in-plane behavior of stone masonry walls. In particular, ductility and energy dissipation depend significantly on the textural arrangement of the stones. It is also demonstrated that good quality stone masonry walls exhibit large nonlinear deformation capacity, with moderate damage levels. Finally, it is shown that the lateral resistance of stone walls provided by simplified analytical methods agrees reasonably well with the experimental results.

Experimental Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Block Masonry Walls Subjected to In-Plane Cyclic Loading

An innovative system for reinforced concrete masonry walls based on the combination of vertical and horizontal trussed reinforcement is proposed. The mechanical characterization of the seismic behavior of such reinforced masonry walls is based on static cyclic tests carried out on panels with appropriate geometry. The influence of the factors influencing the in-plane cyclic behavior of concrete masonry walls, such as the horizontal reinforcement, precompression, and masonry bond pattern, is discussed. The results are analyzed in terms of failure modes and force versus displacement diagrams, from which the seismic performance is assessed based on the ductility and energy capacity dissipation. The results stressed that the increase on the precompression level leads to a stiffer and more brittle lateral behavior of the masonry walls. The presence of horizontal reinforcement ensures better control and better distribution of cracking, even if only a marginal increase of lateral strength was found in the particular testing program.

Seismic behaviour of traditional timber frame walls: experimental results on unreinforced walls

Timber frame buildings are well known as an efficient seismic resistant structure and they are used worldwide. Moreover, they have been specifically adopted in codes and regulations during the XVIII and XIX centuries in the Mediterranean area. These structures generally consist of exterior masonry walls with timber elements embedded which tie the walls together and internal walls which have a timber frame with masonry infill and act as shear walls. In order to preserve these structures which characterize many cities in the world it is important to better understand their behaviour under seismic actions. Furthermore, historic technologies could be used even in modern constructions to build seismic resistant buildings using more natural materials with lesser costs. Generally, different types of infill could be applied to timber frame walls depending on the country, among which brick masonry, rubble masonry, hay and mud. The focus of this paper is to study the seismic behaviour of the walls considering different types of infill, specifically: masonry infill, lath and plaster and timber frame with no infill. Static cyclic tests have been performed on unreinforced timber frame walls in order to study their seismic capacity in terms of strength, stiffness, ductility and energy dissipation. The tests showed how in the unreinforced condition, the infill is able to guarantee a greater stiffness, ductility and ultimate capacity of the wall.

Experimental investigation on the seismic performance of masonry buildings using shaking table testing

Masonry buildings worldwide exhibited severe damage and collapse in recent strong earthquake events. It is known that their brittle behavior, which is mainly due to the combination of low tensile strength, large mass and insufficient connection between structural elements, is the main limitation for their structural implementation in residential buildings. A new construction system for masonry buildings using concrete blocks units and trussed reinforcement is presented here and its seismic behavior is validated through shaking table tests. Dynamic tests of two geometrically identical two-story reduced scale (1:2) models have been carried out, considering artificial accelerograms compatible with the elastic response spectrum defined by the Eurocode 8. The first model was reinforced with the new proposed system while the second model was built with unreinforced masonry. The experimental analysis encompasses local and global parameters such as cracking patterns, failure mechanisms, and in-plane and out-of-plane behavior in terms of displacements and lateral drifts from where the global dynamic behavior of the two buildings is analyzed comparatively. Finally, behavior factors for the design recommendations in case of unreinforced masonry are also evaluated.

Full-Scale Experimental Testing of Retrofitting Techniques in Portuguese “Pombalino” Traditional Timber Frame Walls

Traditional timber frame walls are constructive elements representative of different timber frame buildings, well known as efficient seismic-resistant structures. They were adopted as a seismic-resistant solution in Lisbon’s reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake. To preserve these structures, a better knowledge of their seismic behavior is important and can give indications about possible retrofitting techniques. This article provides a study on possible retrofitting techniques adopting traditional solutions (bolts and steel plates). Static cyclic tests were performed on retrofitted traditional timber frame walls. The experimental results showed the overall good seismic performance of steel plates and the more ductile behavior of bolts retrofitting.

Excellent bonding behaviour of novel surface-tailored fibre composite rods with cementitious matrix

Novel composite rods were produced by a special braiding technique that involves braiding of polyester yarns around a core of resin-impregnated carbon fibres and subsequent curing. The surface roughness of these braided rods was tailored by replacing one or two simple yarns in the outer-braided layer with braided yarns (produced from 8 simple yarns) and adjusting the take-up velocity. Pull-out tests were carried out to characterize the bond behaviour of these composite rods with cementitious matrix. It was observed that the rod produced with two braided yarns in the outer cover and highest take-up speed was ruptured completely before pull-out, leading to full utilization of its tensile strength, and exhibited 134% higher pull-out force as compared to the rods produced using only simple braiding yarns.

Influence of the Freeze-Thaw Cycles on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Granites

AbstractStone masonry buildings provide evidence of the cultural and historical values at the time. Therefore, it is important to preserve the stone of these buildings to harmful environment conditions like freeze-thaw and salt crystallization cycles, air pollution, and excessive and frequent rain or snowfall, which can lead to decay processes that endanger the future of architectural heritage. Thus, it is important to understand how environmental actions act on the physical and mechanical properties of building stones. In Portugal, the most used building stone, particularly in the north region, is granite, both in the vernacular and historical buildings. Therefore, this research aims at evaluating the performance of different types of granite, characteristic of the northeastern region of Portugal to the action of freeze-thaw cycles, for which this environmental action is relevant, given the wide temperature range and the possibility of occurrence of negative temperatures. Frost resistance is important fo...

Assessment of compressive behavior of concrete masonry prisms partially filled by general mortar

The usage of general mortar for embedding and partially filling units in masonry prisms was evaluated through compressive tests. Filled and unfilled prisms were tested to verify the differences in their compressive behavior. Four mortar mixes with three water/cement ratios for each mix were used in tests. Results indicated small differences between filled and unfilled masonry prisms. Mortar had a slight effect on the compressive strength of the masonry. A more significant effect, however, could be observed on secant elastic modulus, compressive fracture energy and deformations of masonry prisms. An analytical model to represent the stress versus strain diagram of masonry prisms was proposed which depends on the compressive strength of mortar and masonry prisms. Furthermore, results indicate that the use of general mortar for embedding and filling masonry prisms can offer a solution in terms of building technology.

Assessment of the influence of horizontal diaphragms on the seismic performance of vernacular buildings

The awareness and preservation of the vernacular heritage and traditional construction techniques and materials is crucial as a key element of cultural identity. However, vernacular architecture located in earthquake prone areas can show a particularly poor seismic performance because of inadequate construction practices resulting from economic restraints and lack of resources. The horizontal diaphragms are one of the key aspects influencing the seismic behavior of buildings because of their major role transmitting the seismic actions to the vertical resisting elements of the structure. This paper presents a numerical parametric study adopted to understand the seismic behavior and resisting mechanisms of vernacular buildings according to the type of horizontal diaphragm considered. Detailed finite element modeling and nonlinear static (pushover) analyses were used to perform the thorough parametric study aimed at the evaluation and quantification of the influence of the type of diaphragm in the seismic behavior of vernacular buildings. The reference models used for this study simulate representative rammed earth and stone masonry vernacular buildings commonly found in the South of Portugal. Therefore, this paper also contributes for a better insight of the structural behavior of vernacular earthen and stone masonry typologies under seismic loading.