Isaiah Camarillo, Vasileios Kotzamanis, Samvid Parajuli, and Dimitrios Kalliontzis
i Undergraduate Student, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States
ii Graduate Student, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States
iii Graduate Student, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States
iv Assistant Professor, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States, dkallion@central.uh.edu
ABSTRACT
This research investigates the vulnerability and strengthening of masonry structures against storm surge and sea level rise. In hurricane-prone regions, many existing masonry structures were built decades ago and lack contemporary design measures. Recent hurricanes have highlighted the weak response of masonry to storm surge, revealing poor design details and reinforcement corrosion. Despite the increasing use of masonry as a preferable alternative to wood foundations in flood-prone areas, there is a lack of experimental data to assess the condition of these structures. This study, initiated recently at the University of Houston, aims to bridge this knowledge gap by providing insights and solutions for the masonry design community. The research involves fabricating 1:6-scale loadbearing masonry walls using various design schemes (ungrouted and partially grouted) and testing them under simulated storm surge conditions in the wave flume facility at the University of Houston. The project’s goal is to develop an understanding of the vulnerability of masonry structures and study mitigation strategies, thereby enhancing masonry resistance in hurricane-prone regions. This research contributes to safer masonry design practices against extreme storm events.
KEYWORDS: Flood risk, storm surge, wave flume, wave-structure interaction, structural masonry, hurricanes
001-Kalliontzis.pdf
