Seismic Performance of an Instrumented Masonry Building

摘要

The seismic response of a three story reinforced masonry building with timber floor and roof diaphragm is investigated. The building is instrumented with thirteen accelerometers that have recorded its response during the Whittier Narrows (1989), Landers (1992), Big Bear (1992) and Northridge (1994) earthquakes. Spectral analyses including response spectra and Fourier spectra are conducted to determine the dynamic characteristics of the building. Observation of recorded time history data and the spectral analyses indicated only weakly nonlinear behavior and therefore, justified the development of a three-dimensional linear elastic dynamic model using ETABS (Version 7) software. Calculated and recorded acceleration and displacement time histories were compared. Base shear demand in each building was compared to the lateral force requirements of the 1973 UBC (used for design) and the 1997 UBC. These comparisons confirmed the primarily linear elastic behavior of the structure. An additional strong ground motion record was used to assess the potential for damage to the building if subjected to a similar base motion during its service life.