Application Brief

Finite Element Analysis: Buckling Failure of Masonry Walls

By Ernest Bernat-Maso Department of Strength of Materials and Engineering Structures UPC-BarcelonaTech ETSEIAT

The experimental study of the buckling masonry walls is a complex and expensive task. The scattering on the materials properties and the wide range of strengthening possibilities at the outset of this structural problem make experimental research impossible without the aid of numerical simulation. Performing finite element analysis (FEA) to accurately model experimental tests led to an enhanced range of results and analysis of a variety of problems, which avoided the time and cost drawbacks of experimental research.

Geometric Hypothesis The experimental test to be modeled consisted of an eccentrically in-plane compressed masonry wall pinned at both ends. Thus, real hinges had to be represented. Since some walls were strengthened with textile reinforced mortar (TRM), superficial plaster was modeled as well. The model was based on a plane strain assumption. Each masonry row (including a brick row and the corresponding half mortar joint at each side) was homogeneously modeled as a part in contact with surrounding ones. Real hinges were simplified with two triangles, one at each end of the wall, as analysis of these parts was out of the researchs scope; actual hinge geometry was not required. Corresponding with each row, a rectangular part was associated at one of the free edges of the parts that represented the masonry. This was intended to represent the TRM strengthening layer. Materials Properties The failure mode should be associated with the geometric instability (buckling), so the most important material properties are those related with the deformation of the wall (modulus of elasticity) and flexural strength of the joints, which determined the opening between rows facilitating the buckling effect. Compressive strength is not the most significant property in this analysis.

Finite Element Analysis: Buckling Failure of Masonry Walls

For these reasons, it was decided to model the masonry and TRM strengthening layer as homogeneous isotropic materials. Compressive behavior near the compressive strength was modeled with perfect plasticity. This may not be the most realistic response, but it was easy and represents most cases in which maximum stress was always far from the yielding one. Cohesive zone model (CZM) contacts between rows of masonry and TRM were defined to model the tensile behavior of these two composites materials, which broke brittle at reaching the maximum tensile strength. This tensile strength and the first mode energy of fracture were the parameters used to define the contacts.
Typical mesh. ANSYS software was used for the analysis because it is a worldwide extended simulation software, available to practitioners who have interest in the presented model.

Boundary Conditions and Loading Process The wall was connected with the bodies that represented the two hinges at its endings (triangles) with bonded contacts. The lower triangle had translation movements at the free vertex fixed, and it could only rotate modeling the lower hinge. Similarly, the upper triangle had horizontal movement of the free vertex fixed, but the vertical movement was imposed in a ramp (100 steps) as the loading condition. Meshing The mesh of the wall and TRM was homogeneous and structured, employing quadrilateral elements. Automatic meshing options were used, but the mesh size was fixed (after a convergence study) to a maximum value of 10 mm for masonry and 3 mm for TRM.

Contact behavior at buckling failure

Analysis Settings The two main features of the model were the possibility of developing large deflections and the step-by step analysis throughout 100 steps, during which the load was incrementally applied. The simulation always calculated a few steps after the maximum loadbearing capacity of the wall, so determination of the failure mode was allowable without entering in the explicit analysis.

Equivalent stresses at buckling failure

Experimental failure

Finite Element Analysis: Buckling Failure of Masonry Walls

Results Different walls were simulated and compared with experimental results. All simulations resulted in buckling failure due to the boundary conditions and the way the model was defined. A clear dependency of the eccentricity and slenderness was noticed. The effects of the real geometric imperfections were accurately represented because the real geometry of each real wall was used.
Comparison with experimental results

Once validated, the model aided in increasing the range of the study: analyzing walls with greater slenderness or different eccentricity than the experimental ones, with varied TRM strengthening systems, with different boundary conditions and with different types of masonry. Summary Accurately defining the tensile behavior on masonry and TRM is essential to correctly simulate the structural response of masonry walls (strengthened or not) subjected to geometric conditions, boundary conditions or loading conditions that make buckling failure the prevailing collapse mode. The cohesive zone model applied on the contacts, which represented the horizontal mortar joints of the real wall, was the best solution for a micromodelization in the ANSYS environment. The obtained results accurately represent experimental tests. The FEA developed led to enhancing the study range to obtain extra practical information about the application of TRM strengthening systems or the behavior of more complex structures closer to the realistic applications of masonry.

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