A Rubber-Based System for Damage Reduction in Infill Masonry Walls

Abstract eng:
Post-earthquake examination reports of damaged buildings have identified that losses due to damage of the non-structural elements can exceed those from the structural damage. The paper describes an innovative composite rubber/masonry infill for minimizing earthquake damage to the masonry as well as controlling the seismic performance of the R.C. moment resisting structures by offering auxiliary energy dissipating capability to the building. The composite rubber/masonry infill is therefore capable of interacting in an efficient and controllable way with the reinforced concrete frame, thus optimising a combination of strength, deformability and energy dissipation capacity in three orthogonal directions from the rubber device. The use of a specially shaped rubber joint in the construction of masonry wall minimizes the seismic damage to the partition and infill at a desired performance level and reduces the seismic demand from the reinforced concrete structures by providing auxiliary energy dissipation. Design of the innovative rubber joint capable of providing widely different stiffnesses along the three orthogonal directions is presented. The innovative rubber joints were designed and manufactured at TARRC and were provided for laboratory tests of confined masonry walls within the INSYSME project funded under the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission [5]. Some important conclusions from the laboratory tests are presented. The innovative system requires only simple technology and therefore is applicable of not only to modern structures but also to low-cost construction prevalent in low income seismic areas of the world. The innovative joint received positive feedback from the Italian masonry construction profession in installing the joints within masonry walls.

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