Experimental study on the seismic behaviour of reinforced concrete frames with different infill masonry Available to Purchase

Six half-scale, single-storey, one-bay frame specimens were tested to investigate the seismic behaviour of masonry-infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frames subjected to lateral loading. The variables investigated included the type of masonry infill and the types of openings. The crack patterns, failure modes, load–displacement hysteretic loops, stiffness degradation and energy dissipation capacity are presented and discussed. It was found that the infill wall (with or without openings) significantly improved the behaviour of the RC frame. Moreover, as expected, the frames infilled with higher strength masonry performed better than those infilled with relatively low-strength masonry. It was also found that openings may be a detriment to the stability of infill walls, with a concentric window opening found to have worse effects than an eccentric door opening. An analytical model is proposed to determine the load-resisting capacity of bare frames and infilled frames with reasonable accuracy.