Anna Wang, Bora Pulatsu, Sheldon Andrews, and Daniele Malomo
i PhD student, McGill University, Montréal, Canada, anna.h.wang@mail.mcgill.ca
ii Assistant Professor, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, bora.pulatsu@carleton.ca
iii Associate Professor, École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS), Montréal, Canada, sheldon.andrews@etsmtl.ca
iv Assistant Professor, McGill University, Montréal, Canada, daniele.malomo@mcgill.ca
ABSTRACT
Numerical modelling is a critical part of structural and seismic evaluations, particularly for existing unreinforced masonry (URM) structures built without mortar or exhibiting mortar-loss (i.e., dry-joint). Discontinuum methods are typically used for simulating the failure and collapse behaviours of dry-joint URM; however, such refined computational solutions often require excessive analysis times. An underexplored alternative for structural analysis of dry-joint URM is the use of physics engines, computational tools that present surprising conceptual similarities with DEM but are primarily used in animation and videogame industries for visually credible simulations. While these techniques feature exceptional computational speed when simulating rigid body collisions (i.e., contact, separation, and recontact), they have yet to be rigorously scrutinized for URM structural analysis. This study explores the capabilities of PyBullet, a Python-based module operating the well-known, open-source Bullet Physics engine, in replicating the out-of-plane (OOP) collapse behaviour of dry-joint URM assemblies and full-scale constructions. Preliminary results indicate that PyBullet models can accurately predict the typical failure and collapse modes observed during experimental testing. However, the implicit Coulomb friction cone model utilized for simulating joint slip underestimates the angle of collapse during OOP tilting. Response predictions obtained using PyBullet are overall in agreement with previous experimental and traditional discontinuum results, but require significantly less time to complete, making them a promising alternative for complex URM discontinuum analysis.
KEYWORDS: Discontinuum analysis, unreinforced masonry, physics engines, PyBullet, dry-joint, collapse.
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