Sensitivity Analysis of Nonlinear Behaviour of Infill-Frames under In-Plane and Out-Of-Plane Loading

Abstract

This paper addresses the sensitivity of the in-plane and out-of-plane behaviour of reinforced-concrete (RC) frames with masonry infill panels to a select number of material related parameters. Instead of general conclusions, the intention is to facilitate a deeper insight into the behaviour of infill-frames at a micro level over a wide range of drift values. A script, which has recently been developed, is used to generate the finite element (FE) models of an infill-frame with desired geometric and mechanical properties. Also, the same three-dimensional FE model is used for both in-plane and out-of-plane analyses of infill-frames. The sensitivity analyses are conducted in three sequential parts: the analyses of a masonry bare wall under one-way bending, the analyses of an infill-frame under out-of-plane loading and the sensitivity analyses of an infill-frame under in-plane loading. A simple method is delineated to overcome convergence issues which are related to the highly nonlinear finite element models to be solved using the Newton-Raphson algorithm.