Experimental insights into the seismic behaviour of flanged URM walls

Abstract

Considerable attention has been given to understanding and modelling the seismic response of unreinforced masonry piers with rectangular cross-sections. However, the seismic performance of load-bearing masonry walls with flanges, commonly found in actual building configurations, remains less explored. This study investigates the behaviour of flanged walls through cyclic quasi-static tests on four full-scale C-shaped specimens comprising two primary seismic-resistant walls (webs) interconnected by a single flange. The construction of the specimens varied: two were built using standard solid calcium-silicate bricks with general-purpose mortar, while the other two utilised large-sized calcium-silicate blocks with tongue-and-groove interlocks and a thin layer of cement-based adhesive mortar. All specimens were subjected to cyclic horizontal loading parallel to the webs under consistent overburden load and double-fixed boundary conditions. The primary variable in testing the two walls of each type was the number of cyclic loading repetitions. This paper initially describes the key characteristics of the wall specimens, including geometry, construction details, and mechanical properties. Subsequently, it details the instrumentation plan and test protocol, and summarises the major observations from the tests, illustrating damage evolution and hysteretic force-displacement response. The results highlight the effect of the flange on initial stiffness and lateral force resistance, as well as the influence of block type and loading repetitions on failure mode, displacement capacity, and energy dissipation. Additionally, the study demonstrates the impact of floor slab uplift due to in-plane rocking of the webs on the top boundary conditions and the out-of-plane stability of the flange.