Force–displacement relationship modelling of masonry infill walls with openings in hinged steel frames

Abstract

The seismic behaviour of masonry infilled frames has attracted extensive attention from researchers, and it was found that infills normally experienced a diagonal compression under lateral loading. The infill was therefore assumed as an equivalent diagonal strut in structural response estimations of infilled frames, and a force-displacement curve was adopted to describe the mechanical properties of the strut. However, in the development of the force-displacement relationship of infills, the influences of infill aspect ratio, vertical load acting on the surrounding frames, and opening were not systematically addressed.In the present study, detailed three-dimensional finite element models of masonry infilled hinged steel frames are developed in ABAQUS, and a wide parametric study is carried out to investigate the effects of aspect ratio, vertical load, and opening size and location on the lateral stiffness and strength of infill walls. A generalized force-displacement relationship model of infill walls is proposed based on regression analyses of numerical results. The efficacy of the proposed model is examined by using the existing experimental test results, and it shows that the model can accurately predict the lateral stiffness and load-carrying capacity of infill walls and thus has great potential applications in structural designs and analyses for masonry infilled steel frames.

Experimental and analytical studies of infill wall with sliding joints considering a door opening

“…[66][67][68] The principal reason is that the introduction of door openings disrupts the working mechanism and force transmission mechanism of these infill systems. 69 As a result, the activation of the detrimental multiple-diagonal strut effect, which is dispersed surrounding the door openings, leads to escalated damage to both the infill walls and door openings. 70,71 Notably, compared to the previous study shown in reference, 70 this study more focuses on the comprehensive comparisons between the cyclic behavior of the proposed novel infill wall and the traditional infill wall with a door opening.…”

“…Consequently, supplementary fixtures are often deemed necessary to safeguard both the infill wall and door opening 66–68 . The principal reason is that the introduction of door openings disrupts the working mechanism and force transmission mechanism of these infill systems 69 . As a result, the activation of the detrimental multiple‐diagonal strut effect, which is dispersed surrounding the door openings, leads to escalated damage to both the infill walls and door openings 70,71 .…”