This study focuses on the evaluation of seismic safety of masonry buildings in Turkey by using fragility curves. Fragility curves for masonry buildings are generated by two behavior modes for load bearing walls: in-plane and out-of-plane. By considering the previous research and site investigations, four major parameters have been used in order to classify masonry buildings with in-plane behavior mode. These are number of stories, strength of load-bearing wall material, regularity in plan and the arrangement of walls (required length, openings in walls, etc.). In addition to these four parameters, floor type is also taken into account for the generation of fragility curves by considering out-of-plane behavior mode. During generation of fragility curves, a force-based approach has been used. In this study there exist two limit states, or in other words three damage states, in terms of base shear strength for in-plane behavior mode and flexural strength for out-of-plane behavior mode. To assess the seismic vulnerability of unreinforced masonry buildings in Turkey, generated fragility curves in terms of in-plane behavior, which is verified by damage statistics obtained during the 1995 Dinar earthquake, and out-of-plane behavior, which is verified by damage statistics obtained during the 2010 Elazig earthquake, is combined. Throughout the analysis, ground motion uncertainty, material variability and modeling uncertainty have also been considered. In the final part of the study, a single-valued parameter, called as &lsquo / vulnerability score&rdquo / , has been proposed in order to compare the seismic safety of unreinforced masonry buildings in Fatih sub province of Istanbul and to assess the influence of out-of-plane behavior together with the in-plane behavior of these existing masonry buildings.

There are many advantages of masonry construction like widespread geographic availability in many forms, colors and textures, comparative cheapness, fire resistance, thermal and sound insulation, durability, etc. For such reasons, it is still a commonly used type of residential construction in rural and even in urban regions. Unfortunately, its behavior especially under the effect of earthquake ground motions has not been identified clearly because of its complex material nature. Hence, the masonry buildings with structural deficiencies belong to the most vulnerable class of structures which have experienced heavy damage or even total collapse in previous earthquakes, especially in developing countries like Turkey. This necessitates new contemporary methods for designing safer masonry structures or assessing their performance. Considering all these facts, this study aims at the generation of a new performance-based technique for unreinforced brick masonry structures. First, simplified formulations are recommended to estimate idealized capacity curve parameters of masonry components (piers) by using the finite element analysis results of ANSYS and regression analysis through SPSS software. Local limit states for individual masonry piers are also obtained. Then, by combining the component behavior, lateral capacity curve of the masonry building is constructed together with the global limit states. The final step is to define seismic demand of the design earthquake from the building through TEC2007 method. By using this simple technique, a large population of masonry buildings can be examined in a relatively short period of time noting that the performance estimations are quite reliable since they are based on sophisticated finite element analysis results.

Although performance based assessment procedures are mainly developed for reinforced concrete and steel buildings, URM buildings occupy significant portion of building stock in earthquake prone areas of the world as well as in Turkey. Variability of material properties, non-engineered nature of the construction and difficulties in structural analysis of perforated walls make analysis of URM buildings challenging. Despite sophisticated finite element models satisfy the modeling requirements, extensive experimental data for definition of material behavior and high computational resources are needed. Recently, nonlinear equivalent frame models which are developed assigning lumped plastic hinges to isotropic and homogenous equivalent frame elements are used for nonlinear modeling of URM buildings. The work presented in this thesis is about performance assessment of unreinforced brick masonry buildings in Turkey through nonlinear equivalent frame modeling technique. Reliability of the proposed model is tested with a reversed cyclic experiment conducted on a full scale, two-story URM building at the University of Pavia and a dynamic shake table test on a half scale, two story URM building at the Ismes Laboratory at Bergamo. Good agreement between numerical and experimental results is found. Finally, pushover and nonlinear time history analyses of three unreinforced brick masonry buildings which are damaged in 1995 earthquake of Dinar is conducted using the proposed three dimensional nonlinear equivalent model. After displacement demands of the buildings are determined utilizing Turkish Earthquake Code 2007, performance based assessment of the buildings are done.

A large amount of low-rise unreinforced masonry structures (URM) can be foundin Groningen, the Netherlands. More and more induced earthquakes with shortduration have been detected in this region due to gas exploitation. Local unreinforcedmasonry (URM) buildings were initially not designed for withstanding seismicactions, so that unexpected damage may occur due to their vulnerability, raising insecurityamong residents. Existing low-rise masonry buildings in Groningen can bedivided into different categories based on their characteristics. Two types of residentialmasonry buildings that fulfil the prerequisites for performing non-linear seismicassessment are chosen to be studied in this thesis project, including the terracedhouse and the detached house.The seismic assessment of structures requires the use of both a discretization methodand a seismic assessment method. The discretization method is used to translate themechanical model into a finite element model used for the numerical analysis. Severalmethods have previously shown to be applicable for seismic assessment, but thiswork investigates the implications of using a continuum model (CM) and an equivalentframe model (EFM) approach to discretization in the general-purpose finiteelement package described in DIANA-FEA-BV (2017). The continuum model approachadopted was in a previous work by Schreppers et al. (2017) validated againstexperimental results and is as such deemed representative of the physical behaviourof the mechanical models investigated. An equivalent frame model approach to beused with DIANA is proposed in the work by Nobel (2017). The continuum modelapproach uses continuum elements with a constitutive model developed for the seismicassessment of masonry structures. This constitutive model captures both shearand flexural failure mechanisms. The equivalent frame model approach uses a combinationof numerically integrated beam elements and nodal interfaces, each witha distinct constitutive model, thus decoupling the description of the flexural andshear behaviour. This approach aims to capture the macro-behaviour at the structurallevel. The applicability of the proposed equivalent frame model approach isevaluated by how well it replicates the validated continuum model approach results.The two discretization methods described are evaluated using two types of seismicassessment methods. The first seismic assessment method used consists of first performinga quasi-static non-linear pushover analysis (NLPO) on the model. Thisresults in the pushover curve, which describes the global behaviour of the modelunder an equivalent lateral load based on the fundamental mode shape of the structure.The pushover curve is then used with the N2-method described in EN1998-1iii(2004) to assess at which peak ground acceleration (PGA) that the model reachesthe near-collapse (NC) limit state. The second seismic assessment method consistsof performing dynamic non-linear time-history analyses (NLTH). This method usesrecorded accelerograms to impose the inertial forces. The PGA for the accelerogramwhere the near-collapse limit state is reached is compared to the PGA fromthe use of the N2-method. The applicability of the pushover analysis in conjunctionwith the N2-method is evaluated by how well it replicates the PGA found from thetime-history analyses and by how well it replicates local failure mechanisms.Therefore, the main objectives of this project can be described by the following twoquestions:i. To what extent can the equivalent frame method be applicable as a properdiscretization method for pushover analyses and time-history analyses oflow-rise unreinforced masonry residential buildings in the Groningen region?ii. To what extent can the non-linear pushover method be adopted toassess the seismic behaviour of low-rise unreinforced masonry residentialbuildings in the Groningen region?The applicability of the equivalent frame model showed to vary. For describing localfailure mechanisms its applicability is poor. Further work on connecting the edgepiers to transverse walls is needed. For seismic assessment using the N2-method theapplicability of the equivalent frame model approach is sensible. The conservativedisplacement capacity counteracts the fact that it is worse at describing local unloading,which produced a larger initial equivalent stiffness of the bi-linear curvesin comparison to the continuum model. For seismic assessment using the timehistorysignals, its applicability is possible. While it could show different behaviourin terms of displacement and damping forces, it still showed a similar PGA at thenear-collapse limit state for the cases at hand.The seismic assessment of the terraced and detached houses by the N2-method issimilar to the seismic prediction by applying time-history analyses. However, thereare still some variations in the initial stiffness, force capacity and displacement capacitybetween these two assessment methods due to the assumptions and limitationsin this study. Overall, considering the pros and cons of the quasi-static pushovermethod, it is deemed applicable during the seismic assessment of the unreinforcedmasonry structures in the Groningen area.

A large amount of low-rise unreinforced masonry structures (URM) can be found in Groningen, the Netherlands. More and more induced earthquakes with short duration have been detected in this region due to gas exploitation. Local unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings were initially not designed for withstanding seismic actions, so that unexpected damage may occur due to their vulnerability, raising insecurity among residents. Existing low-rise masonry buildings in Groningen can be divided into different categories based on their characteristics. Two types of residential masonry buildings that fulfil the prerequisites for performing non-linear seismic assessment are chosen to be studied in this thesis project, including the terraced house and the detached house. The seismic assessment of structures requires the use of both a discretization method and a seismic assessment method. The discretization method is used to translate the mechanical model into a finite element model used for the numerical analysis. Several methods have previously shown to be applicable for seismic assessment, but this work investigates the implications of using a continuum model (CM) and an equivalent frame model (EFM) approach to discretization in the general-purpose finite element package described in n DIANA-FEA-BV (2017). The continuum model approach adopted was in a previous work by Schreppers et al. (2017) validated against experimental results and is as such deemed representative of the physical behaviour of the mechanical models investigated. An equivalent frame model approach to be used with DIANA is proposed in the work by Nobel (2017). The continuum model approach uses continuum elements with a constitutive model developed for the seismic assessment of masonry structures. This constitutive model captures both shear and flexural failure mechanisms. The equivalent frame model approach uses a combination of numerically integrated beam elements and nodal interfaces, each with a distinct constitutive model, thus decoupling the description of the flexural and shear behaviour. This approach aims to capture the macro-behaviour at the structural level. The applicability of the proposed equivalent frame model approach is evaluated by how well it replicates the validated continuum model approach results. The two discretization methods described are evaluated using two types of seismic assessment methods. The first seismic assessment method used consists of first performing a quasi-static non-linear pushover analysis (NLPO) on the model. This results in the pushover curve, which describes the global behaviour of the model under an equivalent lateral load based on the fundamental mode shape of the structure. The pushover curve is then used with the N2-method described in EN1998-1 (2004) to assess at which peak ground acceleration (PGA) that the model reaches the near-collapse (NC) limit state. The second seismic assessment method consists of performing dynamic non-linear time-history analyses (NLTH). This method uses recorded accelerograms to impose the inertial forces. The PGA for the accelerogram where the near-collapse limit state is reached is compared to the PGA from the use of the N2-method. The applicability of the pushover analysis in conjunction with the N2-method is evaluated by how well it replicates the PGA found from the time-history analyses and by how well it replicates local failure mechanisms.  Therefore, the main objectives of this project can be described by the following two questions: i. To what extent can the equivalent frame method be applicable as a proper discretization method for pushover analyses and time-history analyses of low-rise unreinforced masonry residential buildings in the Groningen region? ii. To what extent can the non-linear pushover method be adopted to assess the seismic behaviour of low-rise unreinforced masonry residential buildings in the Groningen region? The applicability of the equivalent frame model showed to vary. For describing local failure mechanisms its applicability is poor. Further work on connecting the edge piers to transverse walls is needed. For seismic assessment using the N2-method the applicability of the equivalent frame model approach is sensible. The conservative displacement capacity counteracts the fact that it is worse at describing local unloading, which produced a larger initial equivalent stiffness of the bi-linear curves in comparison to the continuum model. For seismic assessment using the time-history signals, its applicability is possible. While it could show different behaviour in terms of displacement and damping forces, it still showed a similar PGA at the near-collapse limit state for the cases at hand. The seismic assessment of the terraced and detached houses by the N2-method is similar to the seismic prediction by applying time-history analyses. However, there are still some variations in the initial stiffness, force capacity and displacement capacity between these two assessment methods due to the assumptions and limitations in this study. Overall, considering the pros and cons of the quasi-static pushover method, it is deemed applicable during the seismic assessment of the unreinforced masonry structures in the Groningen area. / En stor mängd låga oarmerade murverksbyggnader finns i Groningen, Nederländerna. Allt fler jordbävningar med kort varaktighet har uppmätts i regionen pågrund utav gasproduktion. I området förekommer oarmerade murverksbyggnader som initialt inte var dimensionerade för jordbävningslaster, vilket har resulterat i oönskade skador samt osäkerhet för invånarna. Förekommande låga murverksbyggnader i Groningen kan fördelas i olika grupper beroende på deras egenskaper. Två typer av murverksbyggnader utformade som bostäder uppföljer kraven för att utföra olinjär jordbävningsanalys och har i detta projekt studerats. Typerna som studerats är radhus samt fristående hus. Jordbävningsnalys av byggnader kräver användningen av en diskretiseringsmetod samt en utvärderingsmetod. Diskretiseringsmetoden används för att översätta den mekaniska modellen till en finita elementmodell för numerisk analys. Flera metoder har tidigare visat sig vara applicerbara för utvärdering under jordbävningslaster, men det här projektet studerar konsekvensen från användningen av en kontinuumelement modell (CM) samt en ekvivalent rammodel (EFM) för diskretisering i det generella finita elementpaketet beskrivet i DIANA-FEA-BV (2017). Metoden som använts för att skapa kontinuumelement modeller vart i ett tidigare projekt av Schreppers et al. (2017) validerat mot experimentella resultat och anses därför  representera det fysiska beteendet hos de mekaniska modellerna. Ett förslag för hur ekvivalenta rammodeller ska uppföras i DIANA ges i arbetet av Nobel (2017). Metoden för en kontinuumelement modell använder en konstitutiv lag som utvecklats för utvärderingen av murverksbyggnader under jordbävningslaster. Denna konstitutiva modell fångar skjuv- samt böjbrottmekanismer. Metoden för en ekvivalent rammodell använder numeriskt integrerade balkelement samt nodelement, där båda elementtyper använder en distinkt konstitutiv modell vilket gör att skjuv- samt böjbeteende hanteras individuellt. Den här metoden har som mål att fånga makro-beteendet av elementen. Applicerbarheten av den föreslagna metoden för ekvivalenta rammodeller är utvärderat via hur väl den replikerar resultaten från en kontinuumelement modell. De två diskretiseringsmetoderna jämförs via två metoder för utvärdering under jordbävningslaster. Den första utvärderingsmetoden består av att först utföra en kvasi-statisk olinjär stjälpningsanalys (NLPO) på modellen. Detta leder till stjälpningskurvan, vilket beskriver den globala responsen av modellen under en ekvivalent horisontal last som baserats på första fundamentala moden av bärverket. Stjälpningkurvan används sedan med N2-metoden som beskrivs i EN1998-1 (2004) för att utvärdera vid vilken maximal markacceleration (PGA) som modellen når nära-kollapsgränstilsståndet (NC). Den andra utvärderingsmetoden består av att utföra dynamiska samt olinjära tids-historikanalyser (NLTH). För att göra detta så används accelerogram för att applicera den dynamiska lasten. Den maximala markaccelerationen för signalen där tids-historikanalysen når nära-kollapsgränstilsståndet är jämfört mot den maximala markaccelerationen som fås när N2-metoden används. Applicerbarheten för stjälpningsanalysen tillsammans med N2-metoden utvärderas via hur väl den replikerar resultatet av den maximala markaccelerationen som erhållsfrån tids-historikanalyserna, samt via hur väl metoden replikerar lokala brottmoder. Baserat på detta så kan målen med detta project sammanfattas via dessa två frågeställningar: i. Till vilken grad kan den föreslagna metoden för ekvivalenta rammodeller användas för utvärdering under jordbävningslaster när stälpningsanalyser, samt tids-historikanalyser, utförs på låga och oarmerade murverksbyggnader utformade som bostadsrätter i Groningen? ii. Till vilken grad kan olinjär stjälpningsanalys användas för utvärdering under jordbävningslaster på låga och oarmerade murverksbyggnader utformade som bostadsrätter i Groningen? Applicerbarheten av metoden för ekvivalenta rammodeller visade sig variera. För att beskriva lokala brottmoder så är applicerbarheten låg. Fortsatt arbete som undersöker hur pelarelementen ska kopplas mot de tvärgående väggarna bör utföras. För utvärdering via användandet av N2-metoden så visade det sig att applicerbarheten är rimlig. Den konservativa deformationskapaciteten motverkar det faktum att metoden för ekvivalenta rammodeller är sämre på att påvisa lokal avlastning, vilket i sin tur resulterade i en större ekvivalent initial styvhet för de bi-linjära kurvorna i jämförelse mot metoden för kontinuumelement modeller. För utvärdering när tids-historikanalyser användes så visade applicerbarheten vara rimlig. Samtidigt som det kunde uppstå skillnader i beteende när det kom till deformation samt dämpning, så visade det sig att metoderna fortfarande uppvisade en liknande maximal markacceleration vid nära-kollapsgränstilsståndet för bärverken i fråga. Utvärderingen under jordbävningslast för modellerna när N2-metoden användes visade liknande resultat som när tids-historikanalyserna utfördes. Det förekom dock skillnader i den initiala styvheten, i skjuvkraftskapaciteten och i deformationskapciteten mellan utvärderingsmetoderna från gjorda antaganden samt begränsningar hos arbetet. Som en slutsats när för- samt nackdelar värderas så visade det sig att stjälpningsmetoden är en rimlig utvärderinsgmetod för oarmerade murverksbyggnader i Groningen.