MASONRY BUILDINGS

FAILURES & CODAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Ajay chourasia
Principal Scientist
Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee
ajayapc@yahoo.com
 Components

Walls
Roof

Foundation
 TYPES OF MASONRY CONSTRUCTION IN BIHAR

Foundation Masonry mortar

• Open foundation: • Mud
o Continuous wall • Lime-sand
footing • Lime-surkhi
o Isolated footing with • Cement-sand
tie beams
• Pile foundation with tie Inclined Roof
beams • Grass/ Thatch over
Bamboo/ Wood rafters
Wall materials • Burnt clay tiles
• Unpacked Stone • Metal/ Asbestos sheets
• Packed Stone
• Un-burnt brick Flat Roof
• Burnt brick • Burnt brick over wooden
beam
• RCC beam-slab
Brick masonry with flexible roof

Brick masonry with RCC slab

without any earthquake
resistant features
Typical Roof Constructions
 DEFICIENT EXISTING MASONRY
BUILDINGS

 Dampness in roof / walls

 Cracking in RCC roof
 Ceiling reinforcement exposed
 Cracking of walls
 Dislodged plaster
 Settlement of floors
 BUILDING SUBJECTED TO EARTHQUAKE FORCE
Earthquake force resulting from rapid
movement along the plane of faults within
earth’s crust
This sudden movement of faults releases
great energy in the form of seismic waves,
transmitted to structures through
foundations, and cause to set the structure in
motion. These motions are
complex in nature and
induce abrupt
horizontal and vertical
oscillations in
structures, which
result accelerations,
velocities and
displacement in the
structure
• The induced accelerations generate inertial forces in the
structure, which are proportional to acceleration of the mass
and acting opposite to the ground motion
• This inertial force is the cause of failures of buildings
 DYNAMIC FILTERING EFFECT

Wall and parapet excited

Direction of excitation out-of-plane (secondary
systems) due to the
excitation of the floor
diaphragms

Input ground motion is filtered

and transmitted to the floor
diaphragms by the vertical
structures (in-plane walls:
primary lateral load resisting Seismic input: ground
structure) acceleration
Typical damage patterns in rural housing –

Collapsed Collapsed roof

parapet

Out-of-plane
failure of walls

Corner Beams near to

failure fall down

Wall vertical
crack

Inclined cracking
Out-of-plane
above lintels
failure at mid-
length of long
Wall inclined cracking walls

Vertical crack at corner

due to wall rocking
TYPICAL DAMAGES IN MASONRY BUILDINGS
during earthquake shaking

 Roof tiles dislodge

 Walls:
o Tear apart
o Failure at corners
o Diagonal cracks
o Cracks at openings
 Failure of connections:
o With perpendicular walls
o Roof with walls
 RISK OF DAMAGE TO HOUSE TYPES
SEISMIC ZONE III IV V
MSK INTENSITY VII VIII IX or more
Large deep
cracks in walls
Adobe houses, Partial collapse Complete
of 75 % houses;
Masonry buildings of 75 % collapse of 75 %
Collapse of
in mud mortar houses; houses;
about 5%
houses
Ordinary brick
Partial collapse of
buildings;
Small cracks in Large deep 50 % houses;
Buildings of large
walls of 50 % cracks in walls Complete
blocks; Prefab
houses of 75 % houses collapse of 5 %
houses; Poor half
houses;
timbered houses
Small cracks
Large Deep
in walls of 75
Fine plaster cracks in walls of
Well built RCC / % houses
cracks in walls 50 % houses;
wooden buildings Large deep
of 50 % houses Partial collapse of
cracks in walls
5 % houses
of 5 % houses
 FAILURE MODE OF MASONRY BUILDINGS
• Load Transfer Mechanism
• In-plane failure: Bending, shear
• Out-of-plane failure: Bending
Failures at Corners
Thin and tall walls to topples
Longer wall bending
Gable end wall
• Roof on Two Walls
• Roof on complete Wall Enclosure
• Long Building with Roof Trusses
• Influence of Openings
• Diaphragm Failure
• Non-structural Components
• Pounding
LOAD TRANSFER MECHANISM OF MASONRY BUILDING

Inertia
 Ground motion
forces
generates
Inertia forces at
the location of
mass
Inertia  Inertia forces
forces has to reach
the ground
 Walls are most
vulnerable to
damage
Direction of EQ
shaking
BASIC THREE COMPONENTS OF MASONRY
 Vertical Members
• Emphasised
 Vertical Members…
• Need to transfer EQ Forces safely to
– Vertical elements
– And then, to ground
Strong versus Weak Directions
Pushed in the plane of the wall

Pushed
A
perpendicular
to the plane of the
wall

Toppling
Strong
Direction

Weak
Direction
IN-PLANE FAILURE SHEAR FAILURE OF WALL
 CHARACTERISTICS OF
IN-PLANE FAILURE OF WALLS
 Vertical cracks on openings
 Diagonal shear cracks on parapets
 Diagonal shear cracks in doors and window
lintels
 Diagonal shear cracks in masonry piers
between openings
 Crushing of corners of walls due to excess of
compression stress
 Horizontal flexure cracks on top and / or base
of masonry piers
 Vertical cracks at wall intersections
 CHARACTERISTICS OF
IN-PLANE FAILURE OF WALLS
 Vertical cracks on openings
 Diagonal shear cracks on parapets
 Diagonal shear cracks in doors and window
lintels
 Diagonal shear cracks in masonry piers
between openings
 Crushing of corners of walls due to excess of
compression stress
 Horizontal flexure cracks on top and / or base
of masonry piers
 Vertical cracks at wall intersections
 Masonry walls: Out-of-plane response

Direction of Internal Excessive Excessive bulge

Lateral Load – resistance due to bending of the and Formation of
Acting Out-of- the Out-of-Plane masonry panel horizontal cracks
Plane force.

Push-Out
phenomena due to
excessive Flexural
stresses
 OUT-OF-PLANE BENDING OF WALLS
Wall Enclosure without Roof or flexible roof
Most unreinforced masonry have
weak connection between walls at
vertical joints

Toppling of wall B
due to transfer of
Horizontal inertia
Wall perpendicular to
force from the roof Direction of EQ shaking
 OUT-OF-PLANE FAILURE OF WALLS
REASON: Inadequate anchorage of the
wall into the roof diaphragm and
limited tensile strength of masonry
1. Vertical cracks in the corner
2. Horizontal cracks along the facade
3. Partial collapse of an exterior wall
4. Wythe separation
5. Cracks at lintel and top of slender
piers
6. Cracks at the level of the roof
7. Masonry ejection
SEPARATION OF WALLS AT THE
CORNERS
WALLS (A) & (B ) TEND TO TEAR APART IN EQ
MOTION

B A

WALLS TEND TO GET SEPERATED

SEPARATION OF WALLS AT THE
CORNERS
WALLS (A) & (B ) TEND TO TEAR APART IN EQ
MOTION

B A

WALLS TEND TO GET SEPERATED

failure at connection failure at corner
Collapse of the corner zone
 FAILURE MECHANISM OF MASONRY
BUILDING
Roof on Two Walls
Roof must have enough
strength in bending in the
horizontal plane to transfer
inertia force to walls. This is
known as diaphragm action. RC
slabs have such strength 1 = Earthquake force
B = Wall B
inherently. Timber with brick tile
covering is very flexible.
Inertia force at the top of walls B causes shearing and
overturning of walls. The walls B may shear due to the
force from the roof and its own inertia force.
Such structure when subjected to ground motion
perpendicular to its plane will collapse very easily
because walls B have little bending resistance in the
plane perpendicular to it.
 FAILURE MECHANISM OF MASONRY BUILDING
Roof on complete Wall Enclosure

If the roof if flexible, the

roof inertia will go to the
wall on which it is
supported.
1 = Earthquake force Walls A has little out-of-
A= Wall plane bending strength
B = Wall B

If the roof is rigid (acts as horizontal diaphragm), its

inertia will be disturbed to the four walls in proportion to
their stiffness.
The inertia of roof will almost entirely go the walls B
since the stiffness of the walls B is much greater than the
walls A in the direction shaking. The bending of walls A
will reduce.
The enclosure will act as a box for resisting the lateral
loads
FAILURE MECHANISM OF MASONRY BUILDING
Long Building with Roof Trusses

ground motion is a
long the X-axis
the inertia forces will
be transmitted from
sheeting to purlin to
trusses and from
trusses to wall A.

 Trusses may slide on walls unless properly anchored

 Horizontal force is not transmitted to end walls B due
to lack of horizontal bracing between trusses.
 Long Wall A does not get much support from the
walls B.
 Wall A may overturn in bending as a cantilever
FAILURE MECHANISM OF MASONRY BUILDING
Wall Enclosure without Roof or flexible roof
Influence of Openings in Masonry
Walls B1, B2 seek
support from walls A1,
A2 during seismic
shaking.
Opening in wall A1, A2
reduces shear capacity
Opening in wall B1, B2
reduces bending capacity
FAILURE MECHANISM OF MASONRY BUILDING
Influence of Openings
A hipped roof
Masonry building

When the ground

shakes:
The wall piers
disconnects from
the masonry at the
opposite
diagonals
The masonry piers
develop diagonal
shear cracks.
 FAILURE MECHANISM OF MASONRY BUILDING

Cracks may
develop at
Door and
Window W
Openings D
Due to
concentration
of stresses

CRACKING AT JAMB OPENINGS

 Advantage of Tying the Walls
Toppling
A

B Direction of
earthquake
shaking
Toothed joints
A in masonry
courses
or L-shaped
A dowel bars
B B

Direction of
earthquake
shaking
Box Action in Masonry Buildings
Good Roof that stays together as a single
connection integral unit during earthquakes
between roof
and walls
Walls with
small
openings

Lintel
Band

Good connection between

Stiff Foundation
walls and foundation

Good connection
at wall corners
LINTEL BANDS UNDER EARTHQUAKE
SHAKING
During
earthquake
shaking, the
lintel band
undergoes
bending and
pulling
actions.
Wall Junction Detailing
Wall Junction Detailing
Corner Detailing
FAILURE MECHANISM OF MASONRY BUILDING
Openings in Masonry Walls

Openings
divide the
masonry walls
into three
discrete units
during
earthquake
shaking.
FAILURE MECHANISM OF MASONRY BUILDING
Influence of Openings in Masonry

Openings near the

wall corners
hamper the flow of
forces from one
wall to another.

Large openings
weaken walls from
carrying the inertia
forces in their own
plane.
FAILURE MECHANISM OF MASONRY BUILDING

DIAPHRAGM FAILURE
 COLLAPSE AND DAMGE OF GABLE WALLS

Gable Masonry

• GABLE WALLS IN
SLOPING ROOFS WITH
GABLE ENDS MAY
COLLAPSE DUE TO
INERTIA FORCES OF EQ
DUE TO EXCESSIVE
HEIGHT
Out-of-plane failures
of gable wall
 Slender Walls

Overturning

Overturning

Soil Soil

Thick Wall (1½ brick) Short Wall (1 brick)

versus versus
Thin Wall (1 brick) Tall Wall (1 brick)
 Long Walls
Inertia force
Large portion of wall from roof
not supported by
cross walls

Cross Wall

Cross Wall Long Wall

Short Wall
Good support offered by
cross walls
 Bands in Sloped Buildings
Gable-roof
connection
Gable
Band
Roof Truss-wall
Band connection

Floor-walls
Lintel
connection
Band

Lintel
Band
Cross wall
Plinth connection
Band
Peripheral wall
connection
Bands in Hipped Roof Building
Roof

Roof
Band
Lintel
Door Opening Window
Band Opening

Foundation
Plinth Soil Masonry
Band Pier
 Masonry Construction
Reinforced Masonry

Introduced in seismically active

regions of India, Japan and US.
Reinforcement resists shear and
tensile stresses; improves load and
deformation capacities.
 Codes and Standards
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
 IS 1905:1987 Code of Practice for Structural use of Unreinforced Masonry
 SP 20: 1991 Handbook on Masonry Design and Construction
 IS 13828: 1993 Improving earthquake resistance of low strength masonry
buildings – Guidelines
 IS 13827 : 1993 Improving earthquake resistance of earthen buildings -
Guidelines
 IS 4326: 1993 Code of practice for Earthquake resistant design and construction
 IS 1597: 1992 Construction of Stone Masonry - Code of Practice - Part 1 :
Rubble Stone Masonry, Part 2: Ashlar masonry
 IS 2572 : 1963 Code of practice for construction of hollow concrete block
masonry
 IS 2572 : 2005 Construction of Hollow and Solid Concrete Block Masonry -
Code of Practice
 IS 6041 : 1985 Code of practice for construction of autoclaved cellular
concrete block masonry
 IS 6042 : 1969 Code of practice for construction of lightweight concrete
block masonry
 IS 8605 : 1977 Code of practice for construction of masonry in dams
 Codes and Standards
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
 IS 1905:1987 Code of Practice for Structural use of
Unreinforced Masonry

 SP 20: 1991 Handbook on Masonry Design and

Construction

 IS 13828: 1993 Improving earthquake resistance of low

strength masonry buildings – Guidelines

 IS 13827 : 1993 Improving earthquake resistance of earthen

buildings - Guidelines

 IS 4326: 1993 Code of practice for Earthquake resistant

design and construction
 Earthquake Resistant Design and Detailing

• Section and reinforcement of bands

 Earthquake Resistant Design and Detailing

• Vertical reinforcement
– At corners and wall junctions
– Embedded in the plinth masonry and roof band
 Earthquake Resistant Design and Detailing

• Vertical reinforcement
 NON STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS
parapet walls, partition walls, mumty, water
tanks, canopies, projections, staircase etc

These non-structural elements behave like

cantilevers if they remain unstrained and are
subjected to greater amplification as compared
to ground motion becoming prone to failures
 POUNDING
When : Adjacent roof levels of two buildings
and vertical faces flush with one another

(a) (b)

Pounding causes damages to adjacent buildings

REASONS OF POOR PERFORMANCE OF BUILDINGS
during severe earthquakes
 Non adherence to building codes and byelaws
 Not designed for severe earthquakes or cyclonic
storms
 Inadequate structural system, Irregular plan
 Deficiencies in design / detailing
 Large openings close to corners
 Improper wall thickness,
 Very long walls, Unsupported cross walls
 Foundation: Improper site / design / construction
leading to settlement / differential settlement
 Inferior materials, Poor quality of construction, Lack
of skill,
 Lack of maintenance: deterioration of materials,
corrosion and cracking
 EARTHQUAKE PROTECTION MEASURES
 Light weight, particularly roof and upper storeys
 Symmetrical Building plan & elevation with respect
to mass and stiffness
 Integrity: all portions of building tied together
 Continuous load path, top to foundation
 Use RCC roof of concrete mix M20 or richer
 Projected / suspended ceiling to be avoided
 Avoid pounding, use separation joint
 Use separated staircase, or enclose with rigid walls
 Sloping roof braced in both horizontal directions
 Sloping roof anchored into the roof level RC band
 Foundation on firm and uniform ground
 In case of loose soil, improve the soil
 EARTHQUAKE PROTECTION MEASURES
 Well burnt bricks or solid concrete blocks having a
crushing strength > 3.5 Mpa
 Cement Mortar: Cement-sand 1:6 to 1:4 or richer
 Maximum height of building 10 to 15m with
strengthening arrangements
 Wall Straight and symmetrical in both directions
 Vertical joints in the masonry broken properly from
course to course
 A toothed joint for perpendicular walls, alternatively
in lifts of about 450mm
 Small Door and window placed centrally
 Top level of openings should be same, covered
with lintel band
 Avoid arches opening or use steel ties with arches
SEISMIC STRENGTHENING ARRANGEMENTS

 Lintel band
 Roof band and gable band
 Vertical steel at corners and junctions of Walls
 Vertical steel at jambs
 Bracing in plan at tie level of roof
 Plinth band
 Dowel bars
 X-Cracking Masonry

X-Cracking
of Masonry
Piers

Foundation
Soil
 Sliding of Masonry
Roof
Earthquake-induced
inertia force

Sliding

Foundation
 HOW VERTICAL REINFORCEMENT HELPS IN MASONRY WALLS

Vertical reinforcement properly anchored into foundation

and into roof:
 Causes bending of wall in place of sliding or rocking
 Delays the shear-cracking
 Protect from sliding
 Supports in cross direction
 Adequate vertical bars prevents it’s yielding in tension
 PROTECTION OF OPENINGS IN WALLS

Diagonal cracks at corner of Lintel band, sill bands and

opening, in wall without vertical steel provide
reinforcement protection
The cracks are bigger when the
Provide small openings
opening sizes are larger.
Box Action in Masonry Buildings
Good Roof that stays together as a single
connection integral unit during earthquakes
between roof
and walls
Walls with
small
openings

Lintel
Band

Good connection between

Stiff Foundation
walls and foundation

Good connection
at wall corners
 Factors for satisfactory seismic performance

Masonry quality:
Facilitate monolithic response of masonry.
Slenderness:
Limited slenderness of walls ensures out-of-plane stability.
Connections:
Efficient connections amongst walls and between walls and horizontal
structures ensures ‘box-action’; increases structural redundancy.
Diaphragm action:
Rigid, resistant floor diaphragms restrain out-of-plane excitation of walls,
enhance structural redundancy, aid internal force redistribution.
Limited floor spans
and regularly spaced shear walls in orthogonal directions.
Low stress/strength ratio.
Regularity in plan and elevation
with sufficient torsional resistance.
 Ideal seismic resistant features
Gable wall-to-roof
connection Truss-to-wall
Gable band connection

Roof band

Floor band
Floor-to-wall
connection
Sill band

Lintel
band

Provision of
Exterior wall-to- Plinth band horizontal bands and
wall connection
connections
 Ideal seismic resistant features

Provision of vertical
bands and connections

Vertical steel bars anchored in

foundation and roof band
 FOUNDATION FOR
MASONRY BUILDING
cohesive soils
(clayey, silty
clayey or clayey
silty)
Safe bearing
capacity of 7 to 9
t/m2.
Foundation
depth of 1.5 m
if scouring
depth is more,
increase depth
till clay soil is
reached.
 FOUNDATION FOR
MASONRY BUILDING

cohesive soils (clayey,

silty clayey or clayey
silty)

Safe bearing capacity

of 7 to 9 t/m2.
Foundation depth of
1.5 m
if scouring depth is
more, increase depth till
clay soil is reached.
 FOUNDATION FOR
MASONRY BUILDING

stiff soil at shallow

depth not eroded by
flowing water or
subject to liquefaction

Adopt Continuous
wall foundation with
plinth level RCC band
and vertical bars at
each corner of rooms.
 FOUNDATION FOR
MASONRY BUILDING
Non-cohesive soft alluvial
soils saturated with water
and possibility of deeper
scour or liquefaction

Provide deep RC pile

foundation with bulb at the
bottom for desired load
capacity
3 to 8 m depth based on
liquefaction of the soil
strata.
minimum depth of 3 m for
the single storey houses
In closing…
 Grateful
• Govt. of Bihar
– Padmashree Prof Anand S Arya
–…
A new beginning…