Analysis and Design of Confined Masonry Structures: Review and Future Research Directions

This article discusses the significance of confined masonry (CM) structures in terms of their remarkable seismic performance in past earthquake events. However, the variability of CM structures with differing materials, detailing, and construction practices across different regions poses challenges in developing standardized design guidelines. To address the challenges, the state-of-the-art developments in CM are comprehensively reviewed in the present article. This review encompasses experimental campaigns studying CM walls and buildings to evaluate the effect of important parameters on their performance, a discussion of various numerical and analytical models with their respective benefits and limitations, and an examination of design procedures for CM in nine country codes and their local guidelines. This review identifies gaps in the current knowledge, including the need for more studies on the performance of CM structures under earthquake loads and the use of new materials and construction techniques. The article concludes by formulating future research directions to address the identified gaps, including the need for more experimental studies and the development of sophisticated numerical models that can capture the complexities of these structures under the action of different loads. Overall, the article serves as a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners working on the analysis, design, and construction of CM.

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