Publication detail

Alternative technology of constructing masonry structures designed for areas with increased seismic activity

SEDLMAJER, M. ZACH, J. NOVÁK, V. HROUDOVÁ, J. HORSKÝ, A.

Original Title

Alternative technology of constructing masonry structures designed for areas with increased seismic activity

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

The Czech Republic is a country which generally sees low seismic activity; however, this activity needs to be taken into account in ca 50 % of the country’s area with 10 districts being considered as having seismic activity higher than 0.08 g. In terms of masonry structures, this issue concerns mainly the execution of the head joints of the masonry and its reinforcement (both in the direction of the bed joint and in the perpendicular direction). All these technologies are rather difficult and expensive to implement. The research focuses on assessing the possibilities of constructing dry masonry and binding it with polyurethane foam. This method allows for significantly higher shear strength of the masonry and appears to be an interesting alternative in the area of constructing buildings in seismically active areas. The structure was stiffened by filling hollow masonry units with large cavities with polyurethane foam. The PUR foam was sprayed into the units during construction. The foam thus applied hardens perpendicularly to the bed joint of the masonry and, having expanded throughout the clay units, it functions as a binder and a stiffening component to the masonry as a whole. The initial shear and flexural strength of the masonry segments was determined. The newly developed method of filling the cavities of masonry units with PUR foam was compared with the conventional method of constructing masonry by means of bonding the blocks with mortar or PUR foam in the bed joints (with no cavities filled). The filling of the masonry unit cavities brought a significant increase in the shear and flexural strength of the masonry. This indicates the stiffness of the structure increased as well.

Keywords

clay masonry unit, masonry, seismicity, polyurethane foam, shear strength

Authors

SEDLMAJER, M.; ZACH, J.; NOVÁK, V.; HROUDOVÁ, J.; HORSKÝ, A.

Released

21. 7. 2016

Publisher

Elsevier

Location

Netherlands

ISBN

1877-7058

Periodical

Procedia Engineering

Year of study

151

Number

1

State

Kingdom of the Netherlands

Pages from

177

Pages to

182

Pages count

6

URL

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705816317623

Full text in the Digital Library

http://hdl.handle.net/11012/203167

BibTex

@article{BUT126973,
  author="Martin {Sedlmajer} and Jiří {Zach} and Vítězslav {Novák} and Jitka {Peterková} and Antonín {Horský}",
  title="Alternative technology of constructing masonry structures designed for areas with increased seismic activity",
  journal="Procedia Engineering",
  year="2016",
  volume="151",
  number="1",
  pages="177--182",
  doi="10.1016/j.proeng.2016.07.374",
  issn="1877-7058",
  url="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705816317623"
}