Parametrical study of unreinforced flanged masonry walls subjected to horizontal loading through numerical modeling

Walls in masonry buildings usually have transversal walls, also called flanges. Those flanges increase the stiffness of the structural system and significantly improve the lateral capacity of the buildings. However, it is well known that these improvements only happen if the connection of walls is ensured. This work addresses the influence of flanges in the behavior of unreinforced masonry walls subjected to horizontal loading. In this study only flanged walls where the connection is made through the interlocking of the units is considered. A numerical study using a 3D-model is performed with the DIANA® software program based on the Finite Element Method. A parametrical analysis is carried out in order to define the influence of some parameters on the behavior of masonry walls with flanges subjected to horizontal loading, such as geometry, boundary conditions and the angle of horizontal loading application. The results indicated that flanges have considerable influence on the behavior of masonry walls under flexure and exhibited a very small contribution in shear stress resistance.