Correlation Between Computed Stress Response and Observed Damage of a Heritage Masonry Building

There is a large number of historical brick masonry buildings vulnerable worldwide against seismic forces and required to be safeguarded. Therefore, a need arises for developing a cost-efficient and easily executable retrofitting strategy. To serve this purpose, a massive historical lime mortar brick masonry building: Forest Research Institute Dehradun has been analyzed in an uncracked form. A multifaceted assessment in the form of historical investigation about the building, geometrical reconnaissance survey, foundation soil characterization has been done. Material identification by means of laboratory testing, surveys and the literature indications has been carried out prior to numerical structural assessment. The structural assessment was carried out by using finite element method with masonry non-linearity defined by proper constitutive assumptions. The non-linear static pushover analysis has been carried out and the results were compared with existing in situ cracked conditions prevailing in the building. Comparisons of the expected seismic demand of uncracked structure with in situ existing damages were close which validated the damage to be seismically induced and confirm the vulnerability of such buildings to pervasive damages and a possibility of collapse against seismic loading.