1 Former Graduate Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Speed School of Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA, niranjan@desaionline.com
2 Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Speed School of Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA, m.mcginley@louisville.edu
ABSTRACT
The seismic performance of masonry veneer wall systems has come under increasing scrutiny in the past few years. As part of this scrutiny an investigation evaluating the interaction of masonry veneers and medium rise structural frames under seismic loads was conducted.
In this investigation, the in-plane interaction of structural frames and masonry veneer wall systems are evaluated. The responses of the medium rise building system to seismic loading are compared using a mass representation of the masonry veneer wall system (as is allowed by design codes) and by a more accurate strut and frame model. These building frame-wall system models were subjected to the design based earthquake (DBE) and maximum considered earthquake (MCE) levels of selected ground motion. A parametric study was conducted that encompassed the range of stiffness and strength of both the frames and the wall systems encountered in common construction practice in the United States.
The paper will present a summary of the effects of the veneer wall systems on the response of the building frames that support them, when loaded in their in-plane direction, during a seismic event. It will be shown that the current prescriptive code requirements are adequate for the buildings, but in some cases quite conservative.
KEYWORDS: brick veneer, medium-rise buildings, in-plane loading, seismic response
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