Zieadand Metwally and Yong Li
Zieadand Metwally, Research Assistant, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, zieadm@ualberta.ca
Yong Li, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, yong9@ualberta.ca
ABSTRACT
Due to uncertainties inherent in masonry structures, large scatter is typically observed in the mechanical behaviour predicted experimentally and analytically. In order to lay down the basis for
reliable structural design, rigorous evaluation of the uncertainty in the structural behaviour of masonry structures is of paramount importance. The present study investigates the probabilistic behaviour of reinforced masonry walls subjected to out-of-plane loading. To this end, a wellvalidated finite element (FE) model is used for probabilistic structural analysis. Material and geometric uncertainties are incorporated in the FE model, and the contribution of each uncertain variable to the overall probabilistic behaviour is evaluated. The relative importance of parameters concerning the lateral load capacity is assessed using variance-based global sensitivity analysis. It is concluded that the variance in the predicted probabilistic lateral load capacity is most influenced by the variance in the reinforcement properties such as yield strength and depth (bar location) followed by masonry compressive strength, while the other parameters have a minimal
contribution.
KEYWORDS: masonry, probabilistic analysis, finite element modelling, sensitivity analysis
