Principal Investigator John Ochsendorf
Project Website http://web.mit.edu/masonry/mdejong/index.html
The primary focus of this research is to develop tools to assess the safety of unreinforced masonry structures subjected to dynamic loading. Analysis tools which are currently being developed and/or evaluated involve analytical modeling, discrete element modeling, and finite element modeling. The accuracy of these techniques is being verified experimentally. Analysis tools are also currently being applied to evaluate the condition of existing structures whose safety is in question.
Thrust-Line Tilt Analysis of Masonry Structures: A first-order assessment of structures subjected to earthquake loading can be achieved by applying a static horizontal force that is some portion of the structure’s weight. This horizontal force (or acceleration) can be effectively simulated by tilting the base on which the structure rests. This concept, along with thrust-line analysis (see http://web.mit.edu/masonry/interactiveThrust/ ), can be used to determine the minimum horizontal acceleration that a masonry structure can withstand. While this could be done numerically, the graphical method provides additional clarity through visualization of the results.
Dynamics of Masonry Arches: Arches are typical components of most masonry structures, but their response to dynamic loading is still not well understood. We are researching the stability of masonry arches through analytical and numerical modeling, as well as experimental investigation.
Stability Analysis of Stone Masonry Walls: Stone masonry walls are common throughout the world, and engineers are often charged with assessing their safety. This can be a difficult task with typical analysis tools which are tailored to modern construction techniques. This work involves assessing and applying discrete element modeling as a tool to evaluate the stability of stone masonry walls under static and dynamic loading.