Experimental evaluation of the ductility of a reduced-scale reinforced masonry building

The technical aspects and the notable outcomes of an experiment on a reduced scale building, aimed to determine the seismic performances of an advanced reinforced masonry construction technique, are presented. The testing program includes 33 shaking table tests (characterised by a design PGA varying from 0.02 g up to 0.6 g), alternated with sequences of low intensity dynamic characterisations, based on shock tests. The damage evolution is analysed by modelling the structure as a non-linear SDOF oscillator, where the input is the ground motion and the output is the top floor response. The analysis results highlight a very satisfactory seismic behaviour of the tested construction technique, in terms of the response to low-medium intensity earthquakes, and the performance at the ultimate limit state (ductility and reduction factor equal to 7.5 and 3.6, respectively). These outcomes are discussed with reference to the current Eurocode provisions.