Effect of Vertical Stress on Seismic Performance of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Block Composite Walls with a Door Opening

Abstract

Non-linear analysis of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) block masonry composite walls with a door opening was conducted with finite element software ABAQUS in order to study its seismic performance. The finite element results were firstly verified with laboratory results and then the effects of vertical stress on seismic performance of the wall was investigated using finite element analysis. This study indicates that seismic performance can be improved with the increase of vertical stress; however, the effect of vertical stress on ultimate load is less than that on the displacement under ultimate load.