Behavior of masonry infill panels in RC frames subjected to in plane and out of plane loads

The building envelope in Europe is usually made of masonry walls, with enclosure and infill functions. Masonry walls have a major economical importance and contribute significantly to the building performance. Even if infill walls have no load-bearing function, they contribute significantly to the seismic behavior of buildings. Therefore, their adequate structural performance is needed, avoiding the occurrence of severe in-plane damage, with very large economical losses, and the out-of-plane expulsion, which additionally represents a large risk for human life. Recent earthquake codes in Europe require the safety assessment of non-structural elements (parapets, veneer masonry walls, infill walls, etc.), when their collapse entails risks for people or for the main structure. The Eurocode standards, entering the mandatory stage now, incorporate new requirements to be fulfilled by buildings or their parts. Such is the case of masonry infilled RC frames whose panels, according to Eurocode 8, are explicitly required to withstand the out-of-plane movement induced by earthquakes. Appropriate measures should be taken to avoid brittle failure and premature disintegration of the infill walls, as well as the partial or total out-of-plane collapse of slender masonry panels. This paper presents the experimental work and results achieved by applying cyclic out-ofplane loads to damaged masonry infilled RC frames. The masonry panels were previously damaged by applying an in-plane cyclic load after which the cyclic out-of- plane loads were applied. The frames and panels tested follow the traditional Portuguese RC structure construction system to which different types of reinforcement have been introduced in the panels

Infill masonry: simple analytical methods for seismic design

The latest earthquake codes in Europe require the safety assessment of no-structural elements (parapets, masonry wall’s veneer, infill walls, etc.), as their collapse entails risks for people or for the main structure stability. This work made possible th e development of a design method, supported by previous experimental researches by applying cyclic out-of-plane loads to damaged masonry infill in RC frames. Panels tested reproduce Portuguese traditional RC structure construction system and two reinforced solutions were created as innovative solutions. The experimental campaign was carried out in order to determine: masonry properties; out-of-plane panel behaviour with previous in-plane damage; building behaviour subjected to dynamic tests performed in shaking table. Using finite element method to reproduce experimental tests and to broaden the range of samples it was possible to figure out equations according to parametric analysis which was able to reproduce in-plane and out-plane behaviour leading to an estimated load bearing capacity of each model and to determine frame strength and its stiffness. Those equations permit to design or verify the masonry infill panels in RC frames subjected to seismic loads

Thermochronological evidence for long-term elevated geothermal gradients in Ribeira Belt, SE Brazil

Publicado em: Geochemica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 71, issue 15, Suppl. 1, A7

Exposição de Tilápia do Nilo (Oreochromis niloticus) ao herbicida de cana-de-açúcar hexazinona + diuron.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a exposição de tilápias do Nilo ao hexazinona + diuron em duas etapas

Petrologia, geoquímica e geocronologia de granulitos no sector São Fidélis-Santo António de Pádua, RJ, SE Brasil

O sector São Fidélis - Santo António de Pádua situa-se na zona centro-norte da Faixa Ribeira, SE do Brasil. Esta faixa móvel, formada aquando da Orogenia Brasiliana-Panafricana como resultado da colisão entre os crátons de São Francisco e Congo Ocidental, atingiu condições de pico metamórfico granulítico (T = 800 - 900ºC e P = 8 - 9 kbar) há cerca de 575 Ma. Estas condições foram suficientes para fundir incongruentemente biotite e anfíbola, levando à formação de resíduos charnoquíticos e inúmeros corpos granitóides