Development and Validation of New Bouc–Wen Data-Driven Hysteresis Model for Masonry Infilled RC Frames

Abstract

During the last years, several mechanics-based macromodels have been proposed to assess the cyclic response of infilled RC frames. However, the uncertainties behind the assumptions on damage and failure mechanisms compromise the reliability of such approaches. For this reason, this paper proposes a new data-driven hysteresis model for the cyclic response of infilled RC frames. The infill panel is schematized as a single-degree-of-freedom element, whose constitutive law is given by the proposed hysteresis model. The model combines a degrading Bouc–Wen element with a slip-lock element, which is introduced specifically to reproduce the pinching effect due to crack openings in the masonry panel. The parameters governing the model have clear physical meanings and are calibrated on the basis of an experimental data set of cyclic responses of single-story single-bay RC infilled frames. The calibrations are carried out by means of a genetic algorithm–based optimization. Analytical correlation laws linking the model parameters with geometric and mechanical properties of the RC infilled frame are proposed and validated by blind validation tests. Results show adequate accuracy of the model in reproducing the cyclic response of infilled frames characterized by significantly different geometrical and mechanical features. The model is defined by a smooth analytical hysteresis law, with great advantages regarding numerical stability and computational effort. This makes it suitable for dynamic and stochastic simulations.