Evaluating Strength and Stiffness of Unreinforced Masonry Infill Structures
Abstract
Masonry has been used for hundreds of years around the world in construction projects ranging from simple roadways to complex arch designs. Masonry is also commonly used in frame building structures as infill to either protect the inside of the structure from the environment or to divide inside spaces. During the design and analysis of steel/reinforced concrete frame structures, infill has commonly been ignored. Contrary to common practice, masonry infills do influence the overall behavior of structures when subjected to lateral forces. The influence of infills on overall behavior of the structure has been found to change with the direction in which the load is applied. This report gives guidelines on evaluating the lateral load capacity of infilled panels for in-plane and out-of-plane loading. Further guidelines account for the effect of out-of-plane loading on in-plane capacity. This report is a complement to applicable provisions in FEMA 310 with respect to seismic evaluation of buildings. These guidelines should prove useful for engineering evaluations of the lateral strength of buildings with respect to wind or earthquake forces. The guidelines give the engineer a strength-based alternative to FEMA 273 a performance-based method, which should also result in safe and economical construction.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA407072
Entities
People
- Ghassan Al-chaar
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center