Simplified Pushover-Based Earthquake Loss Assessment (SP-BELA) Method for Masonry Buildings

A simplified pushover-based earthquake loss assessment (SP-BELA) method, which was originally developed to study the vulnerability of reinforced concrete buildings has been adapted in the current work to produce vulnerability curves for unreinforced masonry buildings. The main target of the current article is to adopt various components of existing methodologies, which define the capacity of masonry buildings, within the probabilistic framework of SP-BELA to generate vulnerability curves. In the current application, the curves have been calibrated using data related to the structural characteristics of Italian buildings. Although more data on the characteristics of masonry buildings is necessary to increase the confidence in the results presented herein, a validation exercise has nevertheless been carried out to compare the vulnerability curves with independent studies related to the vulnerability of masonry buildings. These preliminary results show that there is a good agreement between the vulnerability predictions, especially for those which apply to the Italian building stock.