EFFECT OF THE HORIZONTAL RING BEAMS ON THE ULTIMATE BEARING CAPACITY OF MASONRY WALLS

This paper presents the results of numerical tests on the effect of horizontal ring beams on the behaviour of masonry walls under static and dynamic load. Two-storey walls without and with openings were analyzed, with good and poor quality of masonry, with different boundary conditions at the foundation-base interface. The effect of the longitudinal bars profiles of horizontal ring beams on the behaviour of walls under horizontal static load, as well as under harmonic and seismic base acceleration was studied. Previously developed numerical model by authors for static and dynamic analysis of planar masonry structures was used. It was concluted that walls without horizontal ring beams had a significantly smaller strength capacity than equal walls with horizontal ring beams, and that greater longitudinal bars profiles of horizontal ring beams contributes to a higher limit strength capacity of masonry walls.