Masonry Structures FE Simulations for Technical Assessment According to Romanian Design Codes

Brick structural masonry simulations are challenging from the point of view of modelling their real behaviour. On the other hand, there are several design codes requirements for technical assessment of brick masonry rehabilitation that should be considered which increase the difficulty of numerical simulations. In Romania, a lot of brick masonry structures have withstood important earthquakes during their life cycle and require rehabilitation. This paper aims to assess the various simulation challenges regarding the boundary conditions of spandrels and the behaviour of masonry structures. Different spandrel simulations for the FE model of the structure were considered. FEM analyses were performed in ETABS computer software environment. Comparisons between several models were made. The results are used to highlight the importance of correctly modelling unreinforced brick masonry structures for technical assessment and design.