Nonlinear Modeling of Masonry Walls with a Developing Finite Element Code

This paper presents an algorithm which properly handles the nonlinear inelastic behavior of masonry walls. To achieve this, a finite element code has been written using MATLAB under plane stress assumptions. The masonry behavior is assumed as elastic-perfectly plastic model with an associated flow rule. One yield surface has been taken into account as Drucker-Prager criterion. The formulation is verified by comparing the experimental results and numerical solutions by LUSAS and developing code on a masonry wall under lateral loading. Good agreement has been observed in comparing the results.

Keywords:

Finite element analyses , masonry walls , nonlinear inelastic behavior , Matlab coding