Shear seismic capacity of tuff masonry panels in heritage constructions

Tuff masonry structures have been built since old times in countries located in the Mediterranean areas, and they represent a significant part of the existing masonry building inventory of Central-South Italy, including historical architecture. Due to a lack of knowledge on relevant strength and deformability parameters for tuff masonry, experimental and numerical analyses concerning shear response are certainly of interest. The present paper focuses the attention on single and multiple-leaf tuff masonry walls under different in-plane loading conditions. Experimental displacement-controlled results on large specimens have been used to calibrate finite element (FE) numerical models. A macro-modelling approach is used, which is particularly based on a composite plasticity model under plane stress conditions. Comparisons between numerical and experimental results are provided. The ability of the proposed model to fit the overall performances of tuff panels is thus demonstrated. Additional and relevant information about the relation between mechanical parameters of tuff masonry and the corresponding seismic capacity are given for safety assessment and retrofit design purposes.