Comparative inelastic pushover analysis of masonry frames

In the present paper, the methodology, suggested in FEMA 273 guidelines for the evaluation of the seismic capacity of existing structures, is applied for the case of unreinforced masonry-type plane frames. Results from comparative pushover analyses of masonry plane frames are presented. Calculations are carried out by the SAP2000 Nonlinear and CAST3M programs. For the analysis by the SAP2000 Nonlinear program, linear elements with appropriate plastic hinges are used for the modelling. For the analysis by the CAST3M program, two different types of models are examined, using either homogenous plane elements or discrete brick and joint elements. From the analytical results, useful conclusions are drawn on the strength and inelastic behaviour of masonry frames under three different distributions of the seismic lateral loads.