Collapse analysis of unreinforced masonry domes and curving walls

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2012.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Zessin, Jennifer Furstenau
Other Authors: John A. Ochsendorf.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70879
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author Zessin, Jennifer Furstenau
author2 John A. Ochsendorf.
author_facet John A. Ochsendorf.
Zessin, Jennifer Furstenau
author_sort Zessin, Jennifer Furstenau
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description Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2012.
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spelling mit-1721.1/708792019-04-11T11:47:48Z Collapse analysis of unreinforced masonry domes and curving walls Zessin, Jennifer Furstenau John A. Ochsendorf. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Architecture. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2012. This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (p. 176-182). The safety and assessment of historic masonry structures continues to be a challenge for most analysts, especially for more complex buildings. Historic masonry structures have great cultural and economic value, but engineers have not examined the collapse modes for many masonry elements. This thesis examines the collapse of unreinforced masonry structures in response to large support displacements and constant horizontal ground accelerations. Two different structural forms are studied and collapse conditions are established for each. The aim of this research is to allow simple, but meaningful, analytical models and experimental results to inform each other in an effort to better define masonry collapse mechanisms. The first structural form to be analyzed is the masonry dome. For historical masonry domes, small outward movements of the supports will cause cracking and may lead to collapse. The critical span increase to cause collapse of a hemispherical dome is determined for domes with varying thicknesses using two small-scale physical models. In addition, the critical value of constant horizontal acceleration to cause collapse of a hemispherical dome is also examined, simulated by tilting the two domes on a plane. In both cases, a mechanism forms, rendering the dome unstable and collapse ensues. Simple analytical models, emphasizing the relationship between geometry and equilibrium, are able to accurately predict the failure limits and mechanisms. The second structural form to be analyzed is the curving masonry wall. In an effort to better understand the origins and perceived benefits of curving masonry walls, their stability is measured relative to the amount of curvature in the wall. The critical value of constant horizontal acceleration to cause collapse of a curving wall is determined using multiple equilibrium methods and compared with both full-scale and small-scale experiments for dry-stacked bricks. Based on these results, new limits for the stability of these structures are proposed. by Jennifer Furstenau Zessin. Ph.D. 2012-05-17T21:09:46Z 2012-05-17T21:09:46Z 2012 2012 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70879 787877215 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 182 p. application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Architecture.
Zessin, Jennifer Furstenau
Collapse analysis of unreinforced masonry domes and curving walls
title Collapse analysis of unreinforced masonry domes and curving walls
title_full Collapse analysis of unreinforced masonry domes and curving walls
title_fullStr Collapse analysis of unreinforced masonry domes and curving walls
title_full_unstemmed Collapse analysis of unreinforced masonry domes and curving walls
title_short Collapse analysis of unreinforced masonry domes and curving walls
title_sort collapse analysis of unreinforced masonry domes and curving walls
topic Architecture.
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70879
work_keys_str_mv AT zessinjenniferfurstenau collapseanalysisofunreinforcedmasonrydomesandcurvingwalls