Deterministic and probabilistic analyses of the 3D response of masonry buildings to imposed settlement troughs

This paper shows the results of a numerical analysis carried out using the equivalent frame method, which aimed to investigate the three-dimensional behaviour of masonry buildings with shallow foundations subjected to different settlement troughs on a set of soil types. The obtained results are first expressed in terms of deterministic relationships between the adopted intensity measure (the maximum differential settlement) and a newly defined engineering demand parameter (the vertical drift ratio). Then, following a probabilistic approach, fragility curves pertaining to the modelled masonry buildings are generated, and their usefulness in preventing the occurrence of a serviceability limit state is discussed.