In-plane and out-of-plane quasi-static tests on RC frames with a new type of frame-isolated infills

Masonry infill walls are vulnerable and have an adverse impact on the reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures under strong ground motions. Some retrofit schemes were proposed to address this, but their application may lead to some detrimental effects, such as the reduction of out-of-plane stability. A new type of wall configuration is presented in this paper to isolate infill walls from the surrounding RC frames with the view of limiting infill-frame interaction and providing a stable and reliable out-of-plane response. It features isolation gaps, wall reinforcement, tie columns, and steel channel tracks. The configuration is also verified experimentally through in-plane and out-of-plane tests. The results of in-plane tests indicate that the proposed wall configuration effectively reduces infill wall damage and undesirable infill-frame interaction. The results of out-of-plane tests demonstrate that the method improves the out-of-plane resistance and enhances the out-of-plane stability of the isolated infill walls.

Automated summary

A new wall configuration is proposed in this paper to isolate infill walls from surrounding RC frames, aiming to limit their interaction and provide stable response. Experimental results show that the proposed configuration effectively reduces infill wall damage and enhances stability.