Seismic Evaluation of Existing Unreinforced Masonry Building

It is well known that masonry buildings suffer a great deal of damage during earthquakes, leading to significant loss of lives. Almost 75% of the fatalities, attributed to earthquake in the last century, are caused by collapse of buildings of which the greatest portion (more than 70%) is due to collapse of masonry buildings. A majority of the tenements in India are unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings that are weak and vulnerable even under moderate earthquakes. On the other hand, a cursory glance through the literature on earthquake-resistant structures reveals that a bulk of research efforts is on RC structures. Clearly there is a great need to expend more effort in understanding masonry buildings subjected to earthquake-induced dynamic loads.