Objectives

For development of the shear spring model (main objective of the project) four steps will be made:

  • Field investigation on variation of the layout of TFM houses in Romania;

  • Conduct experimental tests on the materials and sub-assemblies characteristic for the Romanian TFM (mortar, bricks, masonry, timber);

  • Validate the shear spring model by conducting a full scale experimental test on a wall, having the layout (with/without timber diagonals, dimensions of the masonry panels, connection types) of the most frequent found Romanian traditional residential house with a masonry infilled timber frame structure;

  • Extend the spring model to other types of Romanian traditional residential houses, having timber frames (post and beam) and consider design method for new houses.

For 2015, the main activity was the start of calibration of the shear spring model with the experiments already conducted in Japan.

For 2016, the main objective was to identify and study the most spread structural typologies (starting from timber frames with different types of infills) which was found in the field investigation. The activities done were:

  • Continue and finalize the calibration of the shear spring model with the experiments already conducted in Japan;
  • Field investigation in minimum two places in Romania, affected by the Vrancea seismic source (1);
  • Establish the structural typologies to be studied;
  • Design the experimental study (2), make the test specimens (2) and start to make experiments;
  • Start to calibrate the shear spring model for a first Romanian traditional house structural typology.

Some details are given in the next tab (Activities) on the above activities (1 and 2) done within the project.

For 2017, the final objective is to validate the shear spring model with the experiments to be conducted on the Romanian type of timber frame with brick masonry infill. The following activities will be conducted:

  • Finalize the experimental program (materials and walls) done on the selected structural typologies;
  • Experimental results interpretation;
  • Validate the shear spring model, or if case, calibrate with experimental results;
  • Compare the FEM model (simplified) with the shear spring model results;
  • Extend the shear spring model for the other typologies found in the field investigation.