Confined and Reinforced Masonry Buildings

Abstract

Masonry structures would continue to be built in large numbers in spite of masonry not being an ideal material under seismic impact. As a result, a large population in rural India will continue to live in such abodes. Hence, it is important to provide guidelines which, if followed, can minimise damage and save many lives in the event of an earthquake. One of the less expensive approach to achieve this is the use of confined masonry. This form is described in detail together with sizes and reinforcement to be used in confining members. Another approach is to fortify masonry with steel reinforcement supported by a proven design procedure. This chapter covers in detail confined masonry as well as reinforced masonry structures. Detailed analytical techniques are described for design of masonry shear walls subjected to in-plane and out-of-plane inertia forces. It is shown how the magnitude of lateral force shared among shear walls can be evaluated.