Optimizing Seismic Capacity of Existing Masonry Buildings by Retrofitting Timber Floors: Wood-Based Solutions as a Dissipative Alternative to Rigid Concrete Diaphragms

The inadequate seismic performance of existing masonry buildings is often linked to the excessively low in-plane stiffness of timber diaphragms and the poor quality of their connections to the walls. However, relevant past studies and seismic events have also shown that rigid diaphragms could be det...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Buildings (Basel) 2021-12, Vol.11 (12), p.604
Main Authors: Mirra, Michele, Ravenshorst, Geert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Buildings
Concrete
Concrete slabs
Design
Diaphragms
Earthquakes
Energy dissipation
Flooring
Masonry
masonry buildings
Mathematical models
Numerical models
Plywood
Reinforced concrete
Retrofitting
reversible strengthening
Seismic activity
Seismic engineering
Seismic response
seismic retrofitting
Slabs
Stiffness
timber diaphragms
Walls
Wood floors
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Summary:The inadequate seismic performance of existing masonry buildings is often linked to the excessively low in-plane stiffness of timber diaphragms and the poor quality of their connections to the walls. However, relevant past studies and seismic events have also shown that rigid diaphragms could be detrimental for existing buildings and do not necessarily lead to an increase in their seismic performance. Therefore, this work explores the opportunity of optimizing the retrofitting of existing timber floors by means of a dissipative strengthening option, consisting of a plywood panel overlay. On the basis of past experimental tests and previously formulated analytical and numerical models for simulating the in-plane response of these retrofitted diaphragms, in this work nonlinear incremental dynamic analyses were performed on three case–study buildings. For each structure three configurations were analyzed: an as-built one, one having floors retrofitted with concrete slabs and one having dissipative diaphragms strengthened with plywood panels. The results showed that the additional beneficial hysteretic energy dissipation of the optimized diaphragms is relevant and can largely increase the seismic performance of the analyzed buildings, while rigid floors only localize the dissipation in the walls. These outcomes can contribute to an efficient seismic retrofitting of existing masonry buildings, demonstrating once more the great potential of wood-based techniques in comparison to the use of reinforced concrete for creating rigid diaphragms.
ISSN:2075-5309
2075-5309
DOI:10.3390/buildings11120604