In-Plane Behavior of Strengthened Unreinforced Masonry Infill Walls: Experimental and Numerical Study

Abstract

<p>Masonry walls are often regarded as non-load-bearing components in most steel or concrete- framed buildings which effectively increases the total system's strength and stiffness when subjected to horizontal forces. This paper will discuss the experiment using reversed quasi-static cyclic sinusoidal displacement-controlled loading on the masonry infill wall and explains the outstanding ductility capability of masonry infills in Reinforced Concrete (RC) frames, as seen during cyclic experimental testing on wall specimens. The study's primary aim was to describe how the rectangular brick infill panels on RC frames behave during earthquakes. The results regarding in- plane force-displacement responses, damage evolution and energy dissipation capacity will be presented. Ultimately, the experimental tests were simulated in the software ABAQUS through a simplified modelling approach and validated against the experimental results.</p>