ABSTRACT
The Unreinforced Wall (URM) elements that are most susceptible to out-of-plane failure are wall elements of the upper storeys where the accelerations are largest. In modern URM buildings with reinforced concrete slabs, the out-of-plane mechanism involves typically a storey-high wall element, which is subjected at its base and top to the accelerations of the corresponding floor slabs. The chapter investigates how the response of walls subjected to different accelerations at the top and bottom differ from the response of walls that are subjected to the same, mean acceleration at the top and bottom. Damage to URM walls can be classified as damage due to in-plane or outof-plane loading. The chapter examines the out-of-plane behaviour of URM walls in modern brick masonry buildings with Reinforced Concrete slabs. It investigates in particular the effect of the static and kinematic boundary conditions on the out-of plane stability of the walls.
