Monitoring and quantifying crack-based light damage in masonry walls with digital image correlation

Recent, induced earthquakes in the north of the Netherlands have led to a large number of damage claims. Many claims can be considered to fall into the category of ‘light damage’ to the ubiquitous, unreinforced masonry structures in the region. To evaluate and predict the behaviour of cracks, characteristic of light masonry damage, caused by seismic or other actions, an experimental campaign, linked to the validation of computational models, has been pursued. To accurately capture the initiation of visible cracks, wider than 0.1 mm, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) was applied to monitor the entire surface of full-scale wall panels and smaller specimens. Moreover, an optimised speckle pattern and solving algorithm was developed to be able to monitor not only the initiation, but also the propagation of the cracks during subsequent (repeating) loading cycles. In this approach, the crack data is then used to characterise the intensity of damage with a single scalar; the parameter, denoted Ψ and comprising the number, width and length of the cracks, is used to evaluate the progression of light damage in experiments and finite element models. A description of the DIC technique applied and of the development and usage of the damage parameter for masonry is presented herein.Accepted Author ManuscriptApplied MechanicsEmerging Material

Monitoring and quantifying crack-based light damage in masonry walls with digital image correlation

Recent, induced earthquakes in the north of the Netherlands have led to a large number of damage claims. Many claims can be considered to fall into the category of ‘light damage’ to the ubiquitous, unreinforced masonry structures in the region. To evaluate and predict the behaviour of cracks, characteristic of light masonry damage, caused by seismic or other actions, an experimental campaign, linked to the validation of computational models, has been pursued. To accurately capture the initiation of visible cracks, wider than 0.1 mm, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) was applied to monitor the entire surface of full-scale wall panels and smaller specimens. Moreover, an optimised speckle pattern and solving algorithm was developed to be able to monitor not only the initiation, but also the propagation of the cracks during subsequent (repeating) loading cycles. In this approach, the crack data is then used to characterise the intensity of damage with a single scalar; the parameter, denoted Ψ and comprising the number, width and length of the cracks, is used to evaluate the progression of light damage in experiments and finite element models. A description of the DIC technique applied and of the development and usage of the damage parameter for masonry is presented herein.</p

In-Plane Behaviour of Unreinforced Masonry Strengthened with a Structural Glass Window: A Proof of Concept: Buildings

Innovative solutions for seismic-retrofitting existing structures are currently required, as often traditional strategies are expensive, non-reversible, highly invasive, and/or fail to address both serviceability and ultimate limit states together. The present paper describes a preliminary experimental campaign performed at TU Delft to investigate an innovative structural glass window for strengthening masonry buildings. To this purpose, a prototype composed of a timber frame, a semi-rigid adhesive, and a 20 mm thick structural glazing layer was designed. The prototype aimed to improve the structure’s behavior against minor but more frequent service vibrations (SLS), as well as against ultimate ones (ULS). Specifically, an increase in the structure’s in-plane capacity and stiffness was targeted to reduce cracking at low drifts/displacements, while at larger drifts, the adhesive’s tearing and timber crushing were used to activate damping. To evaluate the prototype’s performance, a quasi-static, cyclic, in-plane test on a strengthened full-scale wall was performed and compared with available data on a similar, yet unstrengthened, wall. Although the benefits were not pronounced in terms of cracking and energy dissipation, the implementation of the proposed strategy provided an increase in terms of initial stiffness (18%), force capacity (8%, 36%), and ductility (220%, 135%). This outcome provides the ground for numerical studies that will help better delineate the proposed strategy and improve the current design

Shape matters: Influence of varying settlement profiles due to multicausal subsidence when modelling damage in a masonry façade

This paper demonstrates the use of non-linear finite element modelling to investigate the response of structures subjected to different shapes of subsidence-related ground settlements. The approach is presented with reference to a two-storey unreinforced masonry façade resting on a shallow foundation. Eight realistic settlement shapes, based on field and literature data, are applied in the model with increasing intensity. The intensity of the subsidence profiles is characterized using their (angular) distortion. The extent of the induced damage on the façade is objectively and directly quantified by a damage parameter, based on the number of cracks, their length and opening. The performance of different settlement indicators and corresponding limiting values, typically employed in the state of the art, is in this paper discussed in relation to the damage modelling strategy; these are observed to be dependent on the shape of the settlement profiles. The aim of this paper is thus to provide insight into the extent to which the vulnerability of masonry buildings depends on the shape of the subsidence pattern and may serve as a warning not to use (deterministic) damage indicators such as angular distortion without considering the settlement shape

High-resolution monitoring of the initial development of cracks in experimental masonry shear walls and their reproduction in finite element models

Induced seismicity in the north of the Netherlands has recently exposed unprepared, unreinforced masonry structures to considerable earthquake hazard. While the ultimate-limit state capacity of the structures is vital to assess the individual's risk, their behaviour during more frequent, lighter earthquakes leading to ‘light damage’, has shown to be strongly linked to economical losses and societal unrest. To study the effect of these repeated light earthquakes, the behaviour of masonry structures, typical of the region, needs to be investigated when subjected to multiple small cycles. In particular, insight into the potential aggravation of the light damage is sought. Hence, shear walls of replicated clay brick masonry have been tested in the laboratory and exposed to a high number of low in-plane drift cycles. The experiments show, under inspection with high-resolution Digital Image Correlation, how stair-case, diagonal cracks initially distribute in multiple cracks running in joints at the centre of the walls, but later localise into a single, visible, wider crack. The tests are used to establish an interval over which light damage can be expected for these types of walls. Furthermore, this initial distribution of strains in ‘bands’ and subsequent localisation, previously observed only with computational finite element models and which could not be verified experimentally, is compared and reproduced with improved models both at the composite continuum scale (macro-model) and the brick-to-brick micro scale. The models are calibrated based on the quasi-static, cyclic experimental results and later used for extrapolation in dynamic nonlinear settings to assess the influence of natural ground motion excitations.Applied Mechanic

Testing, Characterisation, And Modelling Of Nehobo Floors For Groningen Seismic Assessment: Intermediate Report: Laboratory Tests and Numerical Models

Applied Mechanic

Empirical fragility and ROC curves for masonry buildings subjected to settlements

In the Netherlands, the potential damage to the building stock due to subsidence phenomena has recently received increased awareness. However, evaluating and predicting damage to buildings in subsiding areas is a complex task that requires associating the vulnerability of exposed structures with the intensity of the subsidence hazard. Considering the widespread presence of subsidence-related damage to the built heritage, the focus of this study is to provide empirical-based insights to assess and forecast subsidence damage to masonry buildings. A rich dataset with manual levelling measurements was collected comprising 386 surveyed masonry buildings, mainly low-rise (terraced) houses built before 1950. Of the total set of buildings, 122 cases rest on shallow foundations and 264 on piled foundations. For each building, the recorded damage is related to the settlement, calculated from the bed-joint levelling measurements, using four different intensity parameters, namely differential settlement, rotation, relative rotation and deflection ratio. These four parameters are appraised in their capacity to effectively predict the intensity of the damage. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) method is used to evaluate the relative efficacy of the selected hazard parameters. The rotation, the relative rotation (angular distortion) and the deflection ratio are observed as the most accurate when predicting the intensity of damage, while the differential settlement appears less accurate. Additionally, the dataset was used to generate empirical fragility curves where the probability of damage is described as a function of the aforementioned parameters. Thresholds were set to distinguish between the light damage and the functional and structural damage state. At a relative rotation of 1/500 masonry buildings on shallow foundations were observed to reach or exceed light damage with a probability of 13%, and functional and structural damage with 5%. The availability of the bed joint levelling measurements made it possible to classify eight recurrent settlement profiles, including both symmetric and asymmetric profiles, associated with both the overall deformation and the rigid rotations of the surveyed buildings

Sensitivity modelling with objective damage assessment of unreinforced masonry façades undergoing different subsidence settlement patterns

This study aims to investigate the damage response of unreinforced masonry (URM) façades resting on strip foundations and subjected to ground settlements via numerical models. The models depict the non-linear constitutive behaviour of both the masonry, via smeared cracking, and of the soil-foundation interaction, via nonlinear interface elements. The influence of building features, such as the masonry material, the length over height (L/H) ratio of the geometry, the wall thickness, the number and size of openings and different types of strip foundations (i.e. reinforced concrete and unreinforced) is examined. A sensitivity study additionally investigates the influence of the interface stiffness and its constitutive model. A Gaussian curve is used to replicate the shape of the ground settlements; These simulate the loss of support underneath the foundation due to urban subsidence. Eight settlement shapes are applied in the FE models, including both symmetric and asymmetric profiles, while the angular distortion is used to measure their intensity. A new aspect is that the extent of the induced damage to the façade is assessed objectively using a damage parameter that represents the number, length and width of cracks in a single scalar value. The method distinguishes between the applied settlement profile at the bottom of the interface and the retrieved settlement profile measured on the façade. The analyses indicate that for a value of the angular distortion equal to 2 ‰ (or 1/500), computed from the resulting deformations of the façades, 60% of the models exhibit serviceability damage associated with cracks of about 5 mm width. Accordingly, the limit values available in the literature are observed to be too optimistic and not conservative in relation to the analyses presented in this study. A key outcome is that facades with an L/H smaller or equal to 1 do not exhibit cracks wider than 1 mm. Façades on reinforced concrete foundations were observed to be less susceptible to settlement damage, compared to unreinforced ones.</p

Calcium silicate against clay brick masonry: an experimental comparison of the in-plane behaviour during light damage

The north of the Netherlands is prone to frequent, light earthquakes linked to economical losses and societal unrest due to the induced seismicity in the region. These light earthquakes produce correspondingly low values of in-plane drift on the typical masonry structures of the region, many of which are built with cavity walls composed of an inner, load-bearing calcium-silicate masonry leaf, and an outer, exposed fired-clay masonry veneer. To assess the resulting damage from the lighter earthquakes, it is thus necessary to understand the difference in behaviour of the inner and the outer masonry leaves when exposed to the same drift values. Experimental tests of replicated, full-scale calcium-silicate brick walls and spandrels are detailed herein and compared to previously tested clay masonry samples. A purposely developed, scalar damage parameter is used to assess the width, number and length of the cracks to objectively quantify damage. High resolution digital image correlation is used to accurately monitor the initiation and propagation of cracks. The experiments reveal that calcium-silicate samples exhibit slightly greater damage than clay samples when subjected to the same in-plane drift. From the tests, drift values for light damage or ‘damage state one’ are set between 0.15 and 0.65‰ for the type of wall tested. Moreover, in these tests, cracks in calcium-silicate samples were significantly more likely to split brick units, whereas cracks in the type of clay samples employed, always followed the masonry joints. This fundamental difference in the light-damage behaviour between the two materials is of importance when considering the perception of damage, the strategies and cost of the repairs, and the strategies for strengthening of masonry structures with cavity walls resembling the type of masonry tested herein.Applied Mechanic

Fragility curves for light damage of clay masonry walls subjected to seismic vibrations

The probability of light damage to unprepared, unreinforced masonry structures exposed to induced seismicity due to gas extraction in the north of the Netherlands is still under investigation. Repeated light seismic excitations caused by frequent, light and nearby earthquakes have been linked to economical losses and societal unrest in particular, with extensive damage claims. Moreover, the damaging potential of the seismic events has been related to the condition of the structure, especially if damage corresponding to settlement causes is already present. A comprehensive testing campaign oriented towards the initiation and progression of light damage of replicated clay brick masonry has been conducted at Delft University of Technology. Based on these tests, calibrated finite element models have been produced. This article uses the calibrated non-linear time-history models to simulate the effect of earthquake ground motion on a variety of initial conditions, wall geometry, material properties, and number, type and intensity of earthquakes. The results are then used to regress a relationship between damage and these parameters. This is subsequently employed to run a MonteCarlo simulation and produce fragility curves where the probability of exceeding specific damage values for various initial damage levels is presented against the seismic hazard. The vulnerability or fragility curves show that visible damage, with cracks wider than 0.1 mm, appears, with a 10% exceedance probability, at 13 mm/s of peak ground velocity; but, if the masonry had already undergone some light, yet imperceptible damage, a PGV of 6 mm/s was sufficient to aggravate it into visible cracks. To attain a 1% probability of exceeding light damage however, for which the masonry would need more invasive repair, it was observed that PGVs larger than 15 mm/s were required. These fragility curves were finally compared to graphs from other authors and found to capture well the variability in the range assigned to light damage.Applied Mechanic