An experimental study on the in-plane seismic performance of the confined semi-interlocking masonry system using DIC method

Abstract

A new earthquake-resistant system for masonry buildings was hypothesised based on utilising Semi-Interlocking Masonry (SIM) panels in Confined masonry (CM) system. This combination was named Confined Semi-Interlocking Masonry (CSIM) and aimed to further improve the seismic performance of confined masonry currently used in buildings. In a CSIM system, walls are intended to resist both gravity and lateral loads, and they simultaneously act as the energy dissipation device for the building. In previous studies, the CSIM system was introduced, and numerical detailed micro and macro models were developed to represent the in-plane behaviour of CSIM. In the current study, the structural capacity, and the seismic performance of CSIM is assessed by performing an experimental in-plane cyclic test on a full-scale CSIM wall. The Digital Image Correlation (DIC) method is employed to observe the crack patterns and the displacement of the wall at different stages of the testing. According to the key findings from the laboratory test, a suitable structural performance with significant values of energy dissipation is attained from the CSIM wall.