Masonry panels consisting of piers and spandrels in buildings are vulnerable to in-plane actions caused by seismicity and soil subsidence. Tectonic seismicity is a safety hazard for masonry structures, whereas low-magnitude induced seismicity can be detrimental to their durability due to the accumulation of light damage. This is particularly true in the case of unreinforced masonry. Therefore, the development of models for the accurate prediction of both damage initiation and force capacity for masonry elements and structures is necessary. In this study, a method was developed based on analytical modeling for the prediction of the damage initiation mode and capacity of stand-alone masonry piers; the model was then expanded through a modular approach to masonry walls with asymmetric openings. The models account for all potential damage and failure modes for in-plane loaded walls. The stand-alone piers model is applicable to all types of masonry construction. The model for walls with openings can be applied as is to simple buildings but can also be extended to more complex structures with simple modifications. Model results were compared with numerous experimental cases and exhibited very good accuracy.

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Several tools for the prediction and the assessment of the structural behavior of masonry buildings have been developed in recent decades. Numerical tools have been favorably developed and preferred over analytical approaches, given the complex mechanical response of masonry and the irregular geometries of historic masonry buildings. In this chapter, a thorough review of numerical strategies for the analysis of masonry structures is presented. Additionally, classification of these strategies is also suggested to logically organize the extensive literature on this topic. Even though a wholly congruent categorization of all the numerical tools is essentially unrealistic given the specific aspects of each solution developed, the existing numerical strategies are subdivided into four classes: block-based models, continuum models, geometry-based models, and macroelement models. Each class is thoroughly reviewed and the open challenges in numerical modeling of masonry structures are critically examined.@en

Masonry structures, although classically suitable to withstand gravitational loads, are sensibly vulnerable if subjected to extraordinary actions such as earthquakes, exhibiting cracks even for events of moderate intensity compared to other structural typologies like as reinforced concrete or steel buildings. In the last half-century, the scientific community devoted a consistent effort to the computational analysis of masonry structures in order to develop tools for the prediction (and the assessment) of their structural behavior. Given the complexity of the mechanics of masonry, different approaches and scales of representation of the mechanical behavior of masonry, as well as different strategies of analysis, have been proposed. In this paper, a comprehensive review of the existing modeling strategies for masonry structures, as well as a novel classification of these strategies are presented. Although a fully coherent collocation of all the modeling approaches is substantially impossible due to the peculiar features of each solution proposed, this classification attempts to make some order on the wide scientific production on this field. The modeling strategies are herein classified into four main categories: block-based models, continuum models, geometry-based models, and macroelement models. Each category is comprehensively reviewed. The future challenges of computational analysis of masonry structures are also discussed.@en