Dynamic simulation of an irregular masonry building with different rehabilitation methods applied to timber floors

The in-plane stiffening of timber floors is normally supposed to be an improvement of the seismic performance of un-reinforced masonry buildings. A modelling strategy to simulate the non-linear behaviour of masonry buildings with simple or strengthened timber floors is presented: it allows to implement the in-plane hysteretic response of the floors and different types of failure of the masonry walls. This model was used to predict the modification of the seismic response of a two-storey masonry building subjected to different rehabilitation techniques applied to the timber floors. The case-study building is irregular in plan to study also torsional effects and out-of-plane deformation of the walls. The mechanical parameters of the non-linear elements representing masonry piers and floors were calibrated replicating experimental tests available in literature. The outcomes of this work were obtained with non-linear dynamic analyses, in order to allow the model to consider not only the actual elastic and post-elastic stiffness of the floors but also their energy dissipation capacity.