Fragility functions and floor spectra of RC masonry infilled frames: influence of mechanical properties of masonry infills

A wide number of experimental studies conducted in latest years pointed out the high influence of the mechanical properties of masonry units and mortar bed joints on lateral strength and stiffness of masonry panels. This feature significantly modifies the global response of infilled frames under seismic actions as well as the local interaction phenomena. Despite a wide investigation on the influence of the infills on global behaviour of reinforced concrete (RC) frames has already been provided, different features characterizing the seismic performances of buildings suggest the need of accurately evaluating local interaction phenomena as well as the influence of the panel on specific and relevant aspects, as the accelerations transferred to non-structural components. This study provides a parametrical analysis of the influence of shear strength and elastic modulus of masonry infills on the seismic behaviour of RC frames originally designed for gravity loads. Regular buildings with different height were analysed using the Incremental Dynamic Analysis in order to provide fragility curves, investigate on the collapse mechanisms and define the floor spectra depending on the properties of the infills. Results obtained pointed out the high influence of the considered parameters on the fragility of existing RC frames, often characterized by inadequate transversal reinforcement of columns, which may lead to brittle failure due to the interaction with the infills. Floor response spectra are also significantly affected by the influence of masonry infills both in terms of shape and maximum spectral accelerations. Lastly, on the basis of the observed failure mechanisms, a parameter defining the ductility of the frames depending on the properties of the infills was also provided (Capacity Design Factor). The correlation between the mechanical properties of the infills and this parameter suggests its reliability in the simplified vulnerability analysis of existing buildings as well as for the design of new buildings.     

Seismic fragility of lightly reinforced concrete frames with masonry infills

Seismic fragility of lightly reinforced concrete frames with masonry infills is assessed through numerical simulations considering uncertainty in ground motion and building materials. To achieve this aim, a numerical model of the components is developed, a rational approach to proportion and locate individual struts in the equivalent three‐strut model is proposed, and an explicit nonlinear column shear response model accounting for the infill–column interaction and soft‐story mechanism is employed. The proposed numerical model is used to (1) generate probabilistic seismic demand models accounting for a wide range of ground motion intensities with different frequency content and (2) determine limit state models obtained from nonlinear pushover analysis and incremental dynamic analysis. Using the demand and limit state model, fragility curves for the masonry‐infilled frames are developed to investigate the impact of various infill properties on the frame vulnerability. It is observed that the beneficial effect of the masonry infill diminishes at more severe limit states because of the interaction with the boundary frame. In some cases, this effect almost vanishes or switches to an adverse effect beyond a threshold of ground motion intensities. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic response and design of RC structures with plan-eccentric masonry infills

The bidirectional response of a two-storey RC frame structure with two adjacent sides infilled is studied through shaking table tests and non-linear dynamic analyses. The pre-cracking stiffness of the infills is large enough to impose twisting of the infilled structure about the common corner of the two infilled sides, with predominant period close to that of translation of the symmetric bare structure in the two horizontal directions. Parametric analyses and test results show that the peak displacement components of the corner column of the two open sides are about the same as (or slightly less than) those of the bare structure under the same bidirectional excitation, but take place simultaneously. This simultaneity of peak local demands from the two components of the motion seems to be the only effect of plan-eccentric infilling that needs to be taken into account in the design of the RC structure. Despite their very high slenderness (height-to-thickness ratio of about 30), infill panels survive out-of-plane peak accelerations of 0·6g at the base of the structure or 1·3–1·75g at their centre. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shake table tests on RC frame infilled by slitted masonry panels

Unreinforced masonry infill walls are widely used as non-structural partitions in RC frames. The effects of infills on the structural responses are often ignored in the design process since they are generally considered as expendable elements. However, recent studies have shown that not only shear damage can be inflicted to the columns braced by the infill walls, but also that the structural stability can be jeopardised by the fall-off of the infills. This paper presents the development of new detailing methods for the infill walls, which features slit panels, isolation gaps between the infills and columns, and anchorage of the infills. The proposed detailing methods were tested and verified experimentally using shake-table tests on five 1/3-scale infilled RC frame specimens with different combinations of the features stated above. The design and construction of the shake-table test specimens have taken into account the similitude requirements. The test results indicate that the proposed detailing method effectively reduced the undesirable interaction between column and infill walls. And the use of proper anchorage could prevent the fall off of infills from the bounding frame. Furthermore, the specimens with slit infill walls displayed better seismic performances, which could be attributed to the rocking behaviour of the sub-panels with increased aspect ratios.     

Prediction of inter-storey drifts for regular RC structures with masonry infills based on bare frame modelling

The traditional construction of masonry infills adjacent to RC structural elements is still widely adopted in European countries, including seismically active regions. Given the repeated field observations from damaging earthquakes, pointing to unacceptably high levels of masonry infill damage, the present study is motivated by the need to improve further the European seismic design approach for new RC structures with masonry infills, in order to exclude the poor seismic behaviour probably caused by deficiencies in the verification procedure. Since the in-plane damage to non-structural panels is commonly controlled through the limitation of inter-storey drifts, the possibility to introduce more effective verification criteria, accounting for structural properties, infill layouts and masonry properties is explored. Therefore, starting from the assumption that analyses and verifications in the design of buildings are commonly accomplished neglecting the presence of infills, results of extensive nonlinear numerical analyses for different building configurations are examined. As a result, a simplified procedure for the prediction of expected inter-storey drifts for infilled structures, based on the corresponding demands of bare configurations, in function of a simple parameter accounting for structural properties and the presence of infills, is introduced. Possible implications of the proposed approach aimed at the improvement of the current design provisions are discussed.     

The structural role played by masonry infills on RC building performances after the 2011 Lorca,Spain, earthquake

On May 11, 2011 an earthquake of magnitude 5.1 ( \(M_{w}\) ) struck Murcia region causing nine casualties and damage to buildings and infrastructures. Even if the main characteristics of the event would classify it as a moderate earthquake, the maximum Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) registered (equal to 0.37 g) exceeded significantly local code provisions in terms of hazard at the site. This high PGA was a result of directivity effects in the near source region. An overview of earthquake characteristics and damage observed is provided. Notwithstanding the lack of proper structural design characterizing building stock in the area, most of the losses were caused by non-structural damage. According to in field observations, it emerges that masonry infills provided additional, “not designed”, strength to reinforced concrete (RC) buildings. Observed damage data, collected after the earthquake, are shown and compared to the results of a simplified approach for nonstructural damage assessment of RC infilled structures (FAST vulnerability approach). The latter comparison provided a fair accordance between observed data and analytical results.     

Numerically based proposals for the stiffness and strength of masonry infills with openings in reinforced concrete frames

Aimed at investigating the effect of openings on the in‐plane behaviour of masonry infills in reinforced concrete frames, a parametric study is presented based on model calibration via experimental tests. Two types of openings are investigated: central window openings and different combinations of door and window openings based on the typologies of southern European countries. First, a finite element model of the structure is made using the DIANA software program. Then, after calibration with experimental results, a parametric analysis is carried out to investigate the effect of the presence and location of the different types of openings on the in‐plane behaviour of the infilled frame. Finally, different equations for predicting the initial stiffness and lateral strength of infilled frames with any types of openings were obtained. An α factor related to the geometry of the piers between openings is proposed to take into account the location of the openings in the developed equations. Subsequently, the masonry infill panel is replaced by a diagonal strut. An empirical equation is also proposed for the width of an equivalent strut to replace a masonry infill panel with openings in such a way that they possess the same initial stiffness. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cyclic response of masonry infilled RC frames: Experimental results and simplified modeling

The recent large interest in nonlinear seismic analysis methods, static and dynamic, has required proper strategies of modeling based on reliable, and at the same time easy to use, constitutive laws for the structural elements. Regarding the behavior of framed structures, special attention has to be devoted to infills because of the key role they play in modifying overall stiffness, strength and ductility under seismic excitation. Pointing out the attention on this topic the paper discusses a criteria for modeling the structural behavior of infills based on a macromodeling approach, that is to say on the substitution of infills with diagonal pin jointed struts. Is here shown how multilinear plastic link elements governed by a hysteretic Pivot model, available in different FEM codes, can be appropriately used to model the equivalent struts to perform linear or nonlinear analyses. In order to enlarge experimental knowledge on cyclic behavior of infilled frames structures and as reference for developing the above mentioned modeling strategy, an experimental campaign on single-storey, single-bay, fully infilled frames with different kinds of masonry and subjected to lateral cyclical loads, was carried out, and some others available in the literature are referred to. Validation of Pivot modeling approach was carried out comparing experimental results and computer simulations of the experimental tests. In the paper hysteresis parameters values calibrating Pivot law are also given for involved masonry infills typologies and some proposals for correlation between strength and stiffness of infilled frames and of masonry infills are provided as a tool for the quick calibration of the Pivot model in practical applications.     

填充墙RC框架结构加固方法的研究现状及展望

综述了用于提高填充墙钢筋混凝土(RC)框架结构抗震性能和改善结构损伤模式的几类加固措施,从工艺、加固效果和破坏形式3个角度进行了分析.在建筑结构设计过程中,填充墙通常被视为一种典型的脆性非均质非结构构件,忽视了填充墙与RC框架之间的相互作用.地震调查报告表明,在结构遭受地震作用时,填充墙通常先于钢筋混凝土框架发生破坏,...     

Implementation and verification of a masonry panel model for nonlinear dynamic analysis of infilled RC frames

The effect of infill panels on the response of RC frames subjected to seismic action is widely recognised and has been subject of numerous experimental investigations, while several attempts to model it analytically have been reported. In this work, the implementation, within a fibre-based Finite Elements program, of a double-strut nonlinear cyclic model for unreinforced masonry panels is carried out. The adequacy of the model in predicting the cyclic/seismic response of multi-storey infilled reinforced concrete frames is then verified through comparisons against experimental results.     

Effect of URM infills on seismic vulnerability of Indian code designed RC frame buildings

Unreinforced Masonry(URM) is the most common partitioning material in framed buildings in India and many other countries.Although it is well-known that under lateral loading the behavior and modes of failure of the frame buildings change significantly due to infill-frame interaction,the general design practice is to treat infills as nonstructural elements and their stiffness,strength and interaction with the frame is often ignored,primarily because of difficulties in simulation and lack of modeling guidelines in design codes.The Indian Standard,like many other national codes,does not provide explicit insight into the anticipated performance and associated vulnerability of infilled frames.This paper presents an analytical study on the seismic performance and fragility analysis of Indian code-designed RC frame buildings with and without URM infills.Infills are modeled as diagonal struts as per ASCE 41 guidelines and various modes of failure are considered.HAZUS methodology along with nonlinear static analysis is used to compare the seismic vulnerability of bare and infilled frames.The comparative study suggests that URM infills result in a significant increase in the seismic vulnerability of RC frames and their effect needs to be properly incorporated in design codes.     

Ductility damage indices based on seismic performance of RC frames

This paper presents an analytical procedure for determining ductility damage indices using static collapse mechanism analysis for ductile reinforced concrete (RC) frames subjected to prescribed drift limits corresponding to different seismic performance levels. This assessment benefits from performance-based seismic design (PBSD) concept that employs rotation ductility factors, pre-defined target damage indices and beam sidesway mechanism as key performance objectives to estimate curvature ductility demands at pre-designated plastic hinges of beam sidesway mechanism. The proposed ductility-based damage indices (DBDI) assessment procedure considers regular frames with secondary effects such as P-Delta and soil–structure interaction (SSI) within a simple non-iterative process suitable for practical applications. A 12-story RC moment frame was chosen to implement the proposed procedure considering P-Delta effect. Pushover analysis using SAP 2000 was carried out for the frame to verify the results of the DBDI method. The results show that the DBDI seismic assessment procedure can be used to quantify the damage potential at different performance levels and relate that to local flexural ductility of critical frame members. The research presented in this paper provides a simple yet conservative damage assessment tool for use by practicing engineers.     

Strength,stiffness and cyclic deformation capacity of RC frames converted into walls by infilling with RC

In seismic retrofitting of concrete buildings, frame bays are converted into reinforced concrete (RC) walls by infilling the space between the frame members with RC of a thickness of not more than their width. The cyclic behavior of the resulting wall depends on the connection between the RC infill and the surrounding RC members. The paper uses the results from 56 cyclic tests on such composite walls to express their properties in terms of the geometry, the reinforcement and the connection. Properties addressed are: (a) the yield moment at the story base; (b) the secant-to-yield-point stiffness over the shear span of the wall in a story; (c) the deflection at flexural failure in cyclic loading; (d) the cyclic shear resistance, including a sliding shear failure mode. Separate models are given for squat walls failing in shear and for those where the top of the column shears-off. The proposals are modifications of models developed in the past for monolithic RC walls from several hundred cyclic tests; blind application of these latter models as though the walls were monolithic gives, in general, unsafe predictions. By contrast, the diagonal compression strut approach in ASCE41-06 is safe-sided, but gives unacceptably large prediction scatter.     

钢筋混凝土框架柱双向受剪承载力分析

本文分析了矩形截面钢筋混凝土框架柱斜向抗剪强度的特征，研究了双向受剪承载力计算时确定折减系数的方法和截面限制条件，对双向受剪承载力计算值与静载和动载试验结果的分析表明，双向受剪承载力计算公式和截面限制条件对于矩形截面钢筋混凝土框架柱设计是偏于安全的，可以作为钢筋混凝土框架柱抗震设计的参考。     

Comparative analysis on macroscale material models for the prediction of masonry in-plane behavior

Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering - Simulating the mechanical behavior of masonry structures with reasonable approximation using numerical models is a complex issue, mainly due to the...     

计算模型对框架结构梁柱内力影响研究

结构抗震设计的基本原则之一是保证"强柱弱梁",但汶川地震等大量实际震害表明这一抗震设计目标并未能很好地实现。针对此问题,已开展大量研究,探讨了楼板、填充墙以及梁、柱、板配筋等因素对形成"强梁弱柱"的影响。本文则从计算模型方面,即结构分析中广泛采用的模型、精细有限元模型和楼板与梁分别考虑的模型,对梁柱内力影响进行了对比研究。结果表明,计算模型对梁、柱弯矩比有较大影响,是形成"强梁弱柱"的重要影响因素。     

纤维增强混凝土异形柱框架抗震性能的试验研究

通过薄弱部位应用纤维增强的混凝土异形柱框架和同条件下无纤维异形柱框架的拟静力试验研究,对比了两榀框架的破坏特征、出铰顺序、承载能力和延性、滞回特性、耗能能力及刚度退化等抗震性能指标。研究表明：应用纤维增强的异形柱框架承载能力和整体刚度显著提高,薄弱部位破坏程度减轻,耗能能力有所增强,纤维可以改善异形柱框架薄弱部位的抗震性能,提高异形柱框架结构的整体抗震能力。