engleski

Seismic analysis of dry stone masonry structures based on combined finite-discrete element method

Dry stone masonry building technique is one of the oldest techniques which has survived to the present. Most of ancient dry stone masonry structures were constructed by assembling regular stone blocks without the addition of mortar between bed and head joints, and if used, the mortar was usually of low strength and hence it has experienced mechanical degradation over time which means that its influence on the behaviour of such structures is negligible. This paper presents the performance of a combined finite-discrete element method (FEM/DEM) for seismic analysis of dry stone masonry structures. In the proposed modelling approach each stone block is modelled as a discrete element which is discretized by constant strain triangular finite elements. Material non-linearity including fracture and fragmentation of discrete elements as well as cyclic behaviour during dynamic load are considered through contact elements which are implemented within a finite element mesh. The interaction between discrete elements is considered through the contact interaction algorithm for the normal forces and through the Coulomb-type law for friction. The contact interaction is resolved on the principle of potential contact forces. The method uses an explicit numerical integration of the equation of motion. The numerical analysis based on experimental test data has been carried out to simulate the main features of dry stone structures. The performed analysis shows high accuracy of the numerical results in comparison with the experimental ones and demonstrates the potential of the FEM/DEM method for realistic modelling of the response of dry stone masonry structures.

Finite-discrete element method (FEM/DEM) ; Cyclic load ; Seismic load ; Dry stone masonry structures

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