Influence of Masonry Infill Wall Position and Openings in the Seismic Response of Reinforced Concrete Frames

Abstract

It is now widely recognized that the masonry infill frame used in reinforced concrete structures (RC) greatly enhances both the rigidity and strength of the surrounding frame. The lateral loading behavior of this RC frame is different from the frame without infill, although the structural contribution of infill walls is discarded in many countries, including Algeria. This paper aims to focus on the effect of openings and the effect of changing the distribution of masonry panels on the global behavior of buildings. For this, a pushover analysis is carried out to evaluate the seismic performance and assess the behavior of infilled RC, and to study the results related to capacity curve, inter-story drift and energy. The results obtained show that the effect of the openings and changing of the distribution of masonry panels can drastically change the overall behavior of the structures regarding enhancing strength capacities and energy absorption. Noticeable remarks in terms of distributing masonry panels within a frame are observed and several recommendations concerning the present practice might be important to be considered.

Influence of Masonry Infill Walls on the Seismic Assessment of Non-Seismically Designed RC Framed Structures

“…A detailed review of the existing proposals for modelling the seismic response of infilled frames is beyond the scope of this work. Readers are referred to the works of Crisafulli et al [13] and Dias-Oliveira et al [14] for a thorough review of the most relevant publications on this matter, as well as to the following (more specific) works: Kakaletsis and Karayannis [15] and Messaoudi et al [16] on the influence of openings on infill walls; Sassun et al [17] on the in-plane behaviour of infill walls; and Furtado et al [18], on the out-of-plane behaviour of infill walls. However, due to the relevance of this matter for the performance-based seismic assessment of existing RC buildings, the following sections summarize a modelling approach that can be adopted within most software platforms.…”

Time-History Analyses on the Effect of Partial Infill Walls on the Seismic Response of a Reinforced Concrete Frame Structure

“…the reinforced concrete (RC) frame, or at the level of the infill wall. Either way, the overall behaviour changes significantly from what was initially considered during the design stage [19]. The paper presents the results obtained by means of THA on the effect of partial infill walls on the seismic response of a scaled-down RC frame structure.…”

“…Infill walls play an important role on the seismic behaviour of structures during earthquakes [18]. The response of the structure to seismic action changes due to the presence of the infill walls, although their effect is still disregarded in many countries [19]. They significantly reduce the deformation capacity of the structure, increasing its stiffness and, consequently, the intensity of the seismic force taken over by the structure.…”

Analytical study on behaviour and performance of infilled frame structure with reinforced eccentric opening

“…However, the proposed equation and the equation proposed by Sigmund and Penava [11] were only for unreinforced infilled frames with openings. Infill wall with a centre opening has been studied and developed for its analytical method [12] to [14], but the eccentric opening is still minimum. For this reason, it is necessary to conduct further research to obtain a diagonal strut width equation of infilled frames with reinforced openings that corresponds to experimental tests results.…”