SEISMIC BEHAVIOR OF A REINFORCED MASONRY INFILL MADE BY AN INNOVATIVE NEW BRICK UNIT: RESULTS OF A SHAKING TABLE TEST

Abstract eng:
Within the framework of INSYSME project (www.insysme.eu) [1], an innovative solution for infill walls has been developed by the authors and XALKIS S.A.. A special, vertically perforated, brick unit has been designed and produced. The innovative brick unit was granted a patent (No. 1008797) by the Greek Patent Office. Vertical holes are located close to the faces of the masonry unit, to serve two needs, namely (a) the enhancement of the out-ofplane bearing capacity of the infill, using vertical reinforcement and (b) the positioning of installations (electrical and plumping). Horizontal or horizontal and vertical reinforcement is provided. The horizontal reinforcement is positioned in the bed joints during the construction of the wall, whereas the vertical reinforcement is placed (in the special vertical holes) after the construction of the wall. Additionally, simple sliding connectors may be used to prevent out-of-plane collapse. In order to assess the performance of the proposed solution, an experimental campaign is carried out on a one-bay masonry infill. A specimen is constructed and tested on the shaking table, in the facility of the Laboratory of Earthquake Engineering/NTUA, in a reduced scale of 1:2. The aim of this investigation was to obtain quantitative data about the seismic behaviour of the infill constructed with the innovative brick unit, and to compare it with its quasistatic behaviour (in-plane and out-of-plane tests on full scale specimens). In the present paper the experimental results of the shaking table test are presented and commented upon.

• Export as: BibTeX | MARC | MARCXML | DC | EndNote | NLM | RefWorks
• Add to your basket