Seismic response of a new type of masonry tie used in brick veneer walls

One of the concerns with the conventional metal anchors that are used to tie the brick veneer to the backup portion of enclosure walls (e.g. masonry block) is the potential for corrosion. Corrosion reduces the load carrying capacity of such ties and this could lead to brittle failure especially in the event of an earthquake. In this paper, the forces in lateral ties in a typical brick veneer wall system are evaluated when the building is subjected to some earthquake records. Distribution of tie forces resulting from the dynamic analysis of a finite element model of the brick veneer-masonry block wall system are determined and compared to the conventional assumption. The performance of a corrosion resistant stainless steel helical tie is compared with that of conventional masonry ties. The potential advantages of this relatively new type of masonry tie are discussed with respect to its use in seismic regions.