A technical article by Dr Safak Arslantürkoglu was published in issue 04/2024 of der bauingenieur. The article focuses on the assessment of the out-of-plane (OOP) behaviour of masonry walls – a critical failure mechanism that can lead to significant damage during earthquakes.
The article addresses:
• The vulnerability of Switzerland’s existing building stock, particularly masonry buildings with flexible floor systems
• The evolution of how this topic has been addressed in Swiss standards and guidelines, from earlier technical recommendations to SIA Documentation D 0237 and the current SIA 269/8 standard
• The Griffith method as an effective tool for assessing out-of-plane behaviour and its implementation in the technical guidance published by the FOEN (Federal Office for the Environment)
• The practical application of the method using the software 3Muri, which enables an efficient and graphically supported analysis of local failure mechanisms
The article is aimed at professionals involved in the seismic assessment of existing masonry buildings, with particular emphasis on local mechanisms that are often overlooked in global structural models.