Miha Tomaževič

Zavod za gradbeništvo Slovenije · Department of structures

In practical earthquake resistance analysis and design of masonry structures, sectional forces, stresses, and strains are determined, considering the gross-sectional characteristics of resisting structural elements, walls, and piers. Simple models and equations based on the theory of elasticity are used, modified, however, to take into account the...

de Um das Schubtragverhalten von Mauerwerkswänden in Versuchen realistisch abzubilden, sollten die Versuchsrandbedingungen möglichst den Verhältnissen in Gebäuden entsprechen. Andernfalls würden in den Versuchen ein unrealistisches Verhalten und möglicherweise unzutreffende Bruchmechanismen erzielt. Zur Untersuchung des Einflusses unterschiedlicher...

The efficiency of strengthening of unreinforced hollow clay block masonry buildings with fibre reinforced mortar coatings has been investigated. A full scale three-storey building model and a series of accompanying walls have been built and tested. Reference unstrengthened, and strengthened specimens of each type have been tested by subjecting them...

Seismic behaviour of masonry buildings, built of low compressive strength units, is discussed. Although such materials have already been tested and approved for use from mechanical and thermal insulation point of view, the knowledge regarding their structural behaviour is still lacking. In order to investigate the resistance and deformation capacit...

Four experimental campaigns performed at ZAG over almost a decade and dealing with strengthening of masonry using FRPs are briefly presented. The campaigns show in-situ tests on strengthened walls in an actual building, the cyclic shear laboratory tests where different materials and FRP layouts were explored, use of innovative flexible materials in...

In this paper an extensive experimental study is presented in which the efficiency of seismic strengthening of brick masonry walls, typical in Slovenia and wider region, is analyzed. The results of cyclic shear tests of 24 walls are presented. The walls were strengthened using different materials and different layouts of the reinforcement. External...

A set of individual URM walls as well as an assemblage of a three-storey URM hollow clay block masonry structure composed of two shear- and two cross-walls have been tested in original and strengthened state. As a method of strengthening, the coating of the walls, consisting of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) grid laid in fiber reinforced cem...

The efficiency of strengthening traditionally built three-leaf stone masonry walls with different types of composite reinforced coating has been investigated. Glass fibre grid in single component fibre reinforced mortar and glass fibre fabric in epoxy resin matrix were used as coating materials. Four different coating types have been applied, with...

The results of an experimental study aimed at seismic strengthening of brick masonry walls by the use of repointing and reinforcing bed joints are presented. Within the testing campaign eight walls were tested by cyclic shear. Two of the walls were used as control walls, whereas the other six walls were strengthened. Two kinds of mortar were used f...

In the scope of the transnational access activities of the European research project SERIES, the Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC) has provided access to its 3-D shaking table to the international construction company Wienerberger AG and to a group of European experts, in order to perform full-scale seismic tests on an industrial solu...

Experience regarding the testing of models of masonry buildings on simple shaking tables is discussed. It is stressed that because scale effects affect some phenomena and influence the dynamic response, only overall seismic behaviour of structural systems can be studied by testing reduced size models, and not structural details. The basic principle...

The paper summarizes the results of recent experimental studies carried out at Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute and is aimed at providing information for the evaluation of values of design parameters introduced by Eurocodes. On the basis of the results of shaking table tests and taking into consideration damage limitation...

Within the frame of the Macedonian-Slovenian scientific cooperation, the Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology (IZIIS) from Skopje, Macedonia and the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG) from Ljubljana, Slovenia, a bilateral project entitled: Development and Application of Seismic Base-isolation...

In the past three decades, significant research has been conducted on seismic behavior of masonry buildings in historic urban and rural nuclei. On the basis of the earthquake damage observations and subsequent experimental simulations of the observed mechanisms, technical measures for the improvement of the seismic resistance have been proposed and...

The response of autoclaved aerated concrete confined masonry buildings to seismic ground motion has been studied. Three 1:4 scale models of residential buildings with the same distribution of walls in plan but different types of floors and number of stories have been tested on a uni-directional shaking table. Lightweight prefabricated slabs have be...

In order to provide adequate seismic behavior of masonry walls, local brittle failure of masonry units in the most stressed zones of structural walls should be prevented. Although robust behavior is required by the code, no specifications are given regarding the criteria to fulfill this requirement. To propose such criteria, a series of 28 masonry...

The testing conducted on seismic platform to determine behaviour of porous concrete buildings, using two three-storey building models, and one four-storey building model, is described in the paper. Typical behaviour of shear wall with diagonal cracks in the direction of excitation, and with storey-based mechanism of behaviour during collapse, has b...

The results of shaking table tests of a series of 1:5 scale masonry building models have been used for the assessment of values of structural behavior factor q for masonry structures, seismic force reduction factors proposed for the calculation of design seismic loads by Eurocode 8, European standard for the design of structures for earthquake resi...

Not all old masonry houses are considered architectural heritage. Although historic, individual buildings are also not always considered monumental. However, as clusters of buildings, old urban and rural centres represent an architectural cultural heritage of great historical importance, giving additional value to many modern European cities. As a...

In the case of masonry structures subjected to seismic loads, shear failure mechanism of walls, characterised by the formation of diagonal cracks, by far predominates the sliding shear failure mechanism. However, as assumed by Eurocode 6, the latter represents the critical mechanism for the assessment of the shear resistance of structural walls. Th...

The efficiency of improving the seismic resistance of old masonry buildings by means of seismic isolation and confining the structure with CFRP laminate strips has been investigated. Five models of a simple two-story brick masonry building with wooden floors without wall ties have been tested on the shaking table. The control model has been built d...

The results of lateral resistance tests of masonry walls and shaking table tests of a number of models of masonry buildings of various structural configurations, built with various materials in different construction systems, have been analyzed to find a correlation between the occurrence of different grades of damage to structural elements, charac...

With rare exceptions, masonry buildings in historic urban settlements have been conceived only for gravity loads. Because their resistance to earthquakes is generally not adequate, seismic retrofitting is needed if the buildings are located in seismic-prone areas. As in the case of the new construction, no collapse and damage limitation criteria de...

As the recent experimental investigations indicated, the robustness of masonry units is one among the most decisive parameters which define the behaviour of masonry walls when subjected to seismic loads. If local brittle failure of units occurs, the mechanism of behaviour and known relationships between the strength and ductility properties of maso...

Basic criteria for seismic rehabilitation of masonry buildings in earthquake-prone areas are considered. To increase resistance, uniform behavior of the masonry structure must be ensured and the existing masonry walls must be improved. Although similar seismic resistance criteria are usually applied for renewal of the existing and construction of n...

Experiments and observations of earthquake damage indicate that physical damage to masonry walls and buildings is correlated closely with limit states, which determine the seismic resistance. It is therefore proposed that the typical observed degree of damage to masonry structures be used as one of the possible reference points for the correlation...

Within the seismic preparedness plan of Slovenia, prepared by the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, a methodology for the assessment of damage and usability of earthquake damaged buildings has been recently developed, based on the experiences obtained in the country and internationally. On the basis of damage evaluation, the...

On the basis of extensive experimental and analytical research in seismic behaviour of existing stone and brick masonry buildings, carried out in the last decades, methods for seismic upgrading have been developed and verified. The interventions, based on the tying of the walls at floor levels, replacing the existing wooden floors with r.c. slabs,...

The results of tests of plain and confined masonry walls with h/l ratio equal to 1·5, made at 1:5 scale, have been used to develop a rational method for modelling the seismic behaviour of confined masonry walls. A trilinear model of lateral resistance–displacement envelope curve has been proposed, where the resistance is calculated as a combination...

Two models of a typical confined masonry building, which conforms to the requirements of Eurocode 8 for simple buildings, have been tested on a shaking-table. Model test results indicate that prototypes of the tested type and size will be able to withstand, with moderate damage to the walls, strong earthquakes with peak ground acceleration 0·8g, an...

As a result of experimental and analytical research in seismic behaviour of masonry structures in the last few decades, new methods for seismic resistance analysis and design, as well as new, seismic resistant technologies and construction systems have been developed. After many centuries of traditional use, and decades of allowable stresses verifi...

This chapter investigates the influence of different types of floors and tying of walls with steel ties on seismic behavior by subjecting a series of models of simple two-storey masonry houses with identical structural configuration to simulated seismic ground motion. It is found that existing urban and rural masonry houses can be strengthened to m...

The influence of four different lateral displacement patterns used for experimental simulation of seismic behavior of masonry walls has been studied. Thirty-two equal reinforced-masonry walls have been tested by imposing monotonically increasing displacements; cyclic lateral displacements with amplitudes, stepwise increasing in predefined blocks of...

A method of modifying the lateral load–lateral displacement relationship obtained by a simple monotonic racking test to represent the skeleton hysteresis curve of an arbitrary dynamic response of a reinforced-masonry wall is proposed. The results of tests of 32 equal reinforced-masonry walls, tested by imposing monotonically increasing displacement...

This paper summarizes the results of an experimental study that investigated the seismic behavior of two three-story, plain- and reinforced-masonry buiding models with identical structural configuration. The measured response and observed mechanism of structural behavior have been used to analyze the load-bearing and energy-dissipation capacity of...

This paper summarizes the results of an experimental study that investigated the seismic behavior of two three-story, plain- and reinforced-masonry buiding models with identical structural configuration. The measured response and observed mechanism of structural behavior have been used to analyze the load-bearing and energy-dissipation capacity of...

The basic aspects of testing small-scale masonry building models on simple earthquake simulators are discussed. Since the scale effects represent a difficult problem to solve, the overall seismic behaviour of structural systems, and not the behaviour of structulal details, has been studied by testing the reduced-sized models on a simple earthquake...

The basic phenomena of response of structures to seismic ground motion are described. The main aspects of dynamic modelling of structures for earthquake resistance analysis are discussed, including the earthquake damage observations and the experimental investigations. Finally, the principles of mathematical modelling of the seismic behavior of bui...

The dynamic behaviour of a four-storeyed masonry building model subjected to simulated earthquake loading has been investigated. The observations of damage propagation during shaking tests indicated the storey mechanism action of model building. Since the predominant effect of the first natural mode of vibrations has been also observed, the idea of...

On April 12, 1998, a local M = 5.5 earthquake with estimated epicentral intensity VII -VIII by European Macroseismic Scale (EMS) severely damaged more than 300 buildings in the area of Upper Posočje (Soča River Valley) in western Slovenia. By carrying out the in situ lateral resistance tests of existing and cement-grouted stone-masonry walls, typic...

Seismic behaviour of porous concrete buildings The testing conducted on seismic platform to determine behaviour of porous concrete buildings, using two three-storey building models, and one four-storey building model, is described in the paper. Typical behaviour of shear wall with diagonal cracks in the direction of excitation, and with storey-base...

Basic criteria for seismic rehabilitation of masonry buildings in earthquake-prone areas are considered. To increase resistance, uniform behavior of the masonry structure must be ensured and the existing masonry walls must be improved. Although similar seismic resistance criteria are usually applied for renewal of the existing and construction of n...