ion provides the functional specification of artifacts, while implementation supports their actual construction (Blackwell, 2006). This interplay between abstraction and implementation is not unique to computing design. A structural engineer, for instance, conceives of a bridge design as an abstraction. That abstraction, earlier expressed on a drawing board and nowadays on a computer screen, th...

In terms of knowledge and technology innovation, sustainability is defined as the ability for a society or culture to develop, incorporate and maintain knowledge and technology in a long term manner without continued outside input. In rural East Africa, the prevalence of low-cost building materials and unskilled labor produce buildings that provide poor security for charitable groups working to...

4 FRP strengthening systems for infill masonry walls are typically designed to resist flexural stresses due to out-of5 plane pressure. Previous research has shown that there are potential premature failure mechanisms due to shear 6 sliding of the infill, which could reduce the effectiveness of the strengthening system. Current design guidelines for 7 strengthening of masonry walls with fiber-re...

The evolution of the damage mechanic properties for un-reinforced masonry panels under dynamic loads is critical in a time-domain analysis of masonry shear walls. This research project experimentally investigates the evolution of the properties of the damage variable for unreinforced masonry panels, subject to dynamic in-plane displacement controlled strain. This paper presents the theoretical ...

At present, many of the historic masonry structures in the most important seismic zone of Argentina present damages due to the actions to which they have been subjected. Therefore, it is necessary to study the behavior of walls of ceramic masonry of great thickness. This work presents the comparison between the results obtained from the numerical simulation of ceramic masonry walls subjected to...

Masonry is one of the world’s most durable construction materials. Masonry structures can remain in service for hundreds or even thousands of years. Masonry structures often outlive their designers, their original design documents, and their original functions. When historic masonry structures are evaluated for preservation, adaptive use, or additions, there are numerous questions that may aris...

The application of steel fiber reinforced polymer (SRP) as a means of increasing the capacity of masonry columns is investigated in this study. The behavior of 23 solid-brick specimens that are externally wrapped by SRP sheets in low volumetric ratios is presented. The specimens are subjected to axial monotonic load until failure occurs. Two widely used types of masonry columns of differing squ...

Homogenization technique has been used to derive equivalent material properties of masonry units for many years. However, most of the previous research work concentrated on derivation of equivalent material properties for solid brick masonry structure. Very few studies have been conducted to investigate complex mechanical properties of hollow concrete block masonry unit. In this paper, homogeni...

Excavation works in urban areas require a preliminary risk damage assessment. In historical cities, the prediction of building response to settlements is necessary to reduce the risk of damage of the architectural heritage. The current method used to predict the building damage due to ground deformations is the Limiting Tensile Strain Method (LTSM) [3]. This method is based on an uncoupled soil...