Lateral Load-Carrying Capacity of Continuous Masonry Wall Supported on RC Frame

Abstract

A continuous masonry wall supported on an RC frame operates as a transfer storey in a masonry building with the RC frame at its foot. It is necessary to study its earthquake-resistant behaviour and a design method. In this paper, pseudo-static tests of seven 1/2 scale model specimens of continuous masonry wall supported on an RC frame have been conducted, and the failure mechanism and the hysteretic behaviour of the model specimens under the combined actions of vertical and cyclic horizontal loads have been observed. Based on the maximum-principal-stress criterion, formulas for the lateral load-carrying capacity of a masonry wall have been developed. The calculated values are found to be consistent with those of the model tests.