Nonlinear seismic analysis of masonry infilled RC frame structures

Abstract

Structures composed of different substructures and materials are a subject of great research and expert interest. It is the purpose of this research to develop an engineering approach for evaluation of seismic demands and to apply the methodology to reinforced concrete frames with or without masonry infill. This paper deals with combination of reinforced concrete frame and masonry infill wall. It is known that the combined structure resists well to severe earthquakes. In this paper, the influence of masonry infill on the seismic demands of a reinforced concrete frame structure is estimated using nonlinear analysis. A strut model was used to model the masonry infill resistance; the strut model is statically equivalent to the masonry infill wall. Therefore, material properties of the strut element are determined based on material properties of continuous masonry wall and geometry data. The seismic analysis is performed including material nonlinearity of the model. Determination of seismic displacement demands is carried out using an approximate procedure of the nonlinear analysis in N2- method. To make evaluation of masonry contribution two varieties of the models have been studied - 'with masonry infill' and 'without masonry infill'.

Keywords

• masonry infill
• nonlinear analysis
• seismic action
• seismic behaviour
• N2-method
• RC frame structure
• response spectrum method