Seismic response behaviour of unreinforced masonry walls by shaking table testings and time-history analyses

The 1989 Newcastle Earthquake clearly demonstrated the seismic vulnerability of Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Structures in Australia. The extensive use of masonry in construction requires the competent understanding of the response of masonry to seismic loading. In order to facilitate a better comprehension of the structural dynamic processes that a URM structure experiences, a joint study by the University of Adelaide and the University of Melbourne has been in progress for the past two years. A major consideration in the structural response of an URM wall, is the out-of-plane behaviour. This paper will review the current methods used in determining the out-of-plane response behaviour of URM walls, and describe the experimental and analytical processes being utilised by the authors to further develop these methods.