Ricerc@Sapienza

The assessment of the out-of-plane response of masonry structures has been largely investigated in literature assuming that walls respond as rigid or semi-rigid bodies, and relevant equations of motion of single-degree-of-freedom and multi-degree of freedom systems have been proposed. Therein, energy dissipation has been usually modelled resorting to the classical hypotheses of impulsive dynamics, delivering a velocity-reduction coefficient of restitution applied at impact.

The seismic performance of timber shear walls is studied in this work, with focus on the energy dissipation ensured by sheathing-to-framing connections. Numerical non-linear analyses are carried out using a parametric numerical model developed in OpenSees and varying some basic design variables affecting the overall racking capacity of the wall, namely: aspect ratio, nails spacing and number of vertical studs. The equivalent viscous damping has been assessed by estimating the damping factor η through the Capacity Spectrum Method.

The seismic performance of timber light-frame shear walls is investigated in this paper with a focus on energy dissipation and ductility ensured by sheathing-to-framing connections. An original parametric finite element model has been developed in order to perform sensitivity analyses. The model considers the design variables affecting the racking load-carrying capacity of the wall. These variables include aspect ratio (height-to-width ratio), fastener spacing, number of vertical studs and framing elements cross-section size.