Effect of Location of Door and Window Opening on the Seismic Performance of Confined Brick Masonry Walls: A Numerical Investigation

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the impact of the location of door and window openings on confined brick masonry (CBM) walls subjected to lateral in-plane loads. Based on the position of the door opening, three different models of CBM walls were considered and four models were considered when the door was placed in the centre of the wall and the window opening was at different sides of the opening. Using finite element analysis, the pushover curve was determined by using Abaqus software. Each model’s peak base shear (PBS) and initial stiffness (Ki) were determined using the pushover curve. According to the results, PBS increases as the distance between the lateral load's point of application and the opening's corner increases. As compared with DL (door at the left), PBS increases by 6.25% and 20.56%, for DC (door at the centre) and DR (door at the right) respectively and Ki is minimum for central door opening. On the other hand, when considering the window opening position, it was observed that PBS and Ki decreased with an increase in the opening area. The decrease was the highest for DCWLR (door at the centre and windows at both left and right), with a 48.3% decrease in PBS and a 53.1% decrease in Ki compared to DC. This study provides valuable insights for designing CBM walls with openings subjected to lateral in-plane loads. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.