A novel macroelement model for the nonlinear analysis of masonry buildings. Part 2: Shear behavior

Macroelement models are widely recognized to be particularly suitable to model the nonlinear behavior of masonry buildings. This article, together with the companion article, presents a new macroelement model, able to solve the limitations of the macroelement model currently implemented in the TREMURI computer program. Whereas the companion article deals with the axial and flexural behavior, this article presents the formulation regarding the shear behavior. In the macroelement currently implemented in the TREMURI program, the shear strength and deformability of an element can be captured only if a manual calibration of equivalent material properties and shear deformation parameters is performed before the analysis. On the contrary, the proposed new macroelement is able to predict the cyclic response of a wall failing in shear, considering multiple strength criteria, directly starting from experimentally measured or code prescribed mechanical properties and automatically calculating the equivalent shear parameters. Furthermore, a procedure to calculate the deformability parameters governing the nonlinear shear response starting from experimentally measured or code prescribed parameters is also included. Therefore, calibrations of material properties and shear deformation parameters at the beginning of the analysis are no longer required. The improved model was then implemented in the TREMURI program and its ability of accurately predicting the nonlinear response of masonry structures is verified through the simulation of experimental tests at different scales.