Nonlinear Seismic Assessment Criteria for Reinforced Masonry Structures in Canada

The objective of this thesis was to bridge the knowledge gap that exists in the assessment of reinforced masonry structures in Canada under seismic loading. Despite the seismic risk present in Canada, there is no formally approved seismic risk-based assessment framework for existing RM structures, and instead, U.S. evaluation criteria (NIST, ASCE/SEI - 41, TMS 402) are used for the assessment of structures built to the Canadian design code (CSA S304). The work presented in this thesis aims to validate the extension of the ASCE/SEI-41 codes to the Canadian context through the development of a comprehensive database of over 70 reinforced masonry walls built and tested in Canadian Academic Institutions. Code-based analytical values of strengths, stiffness, mode of failure, and drift capacities, were compared with the experimentally recorded values and reported failure patterns.