Macro-modelling method for the in-plane behaviour of the damped masonry infill wall in a frame structure

Abstract

The damped masonry infill wall (DMIW) has been experimentally validated to have the ability to ameliorate the seismic problem caused by the diagonal action of the traditional masonry infill wall (TMIW). To lay the foundation for further structural analysis, a macro-modelling method for predicting the in-plane behaviour of the DMIW is developed. In this paper, the in-plane working mechanism is illustrated first and then a macro model of two diagonal elements which represent the behaviour of the damping layer joints (DLJs) is developed. In addition, the modelling method of the DLJ is developed and the method of identifying the parameters is considered. At last, experimental results are used to verify the macro-modelling method of the DMIW, followed by a case study on the seismic performance evaluation of the frame infilled by the DMIWs. The results indicate that the macro-modelling method has a clear physical meaning and is capable of predicting the in-plane cyclic behaviour of DMIW. The storey drifts and shear response of the frame infilled by the DMIW under the earthquake are almost the same as that of the bare frame, indicating that the effect of the DMIW on the bare frame is much less than that of the TMIW and further confirming that the DMIW is able to ameliorate the seismic problems caused by the diagonal action of the TMIW. In addition, the inter-storey drift is evenly distributed without a significant increase in the case where the DMIWs are not placed only in a particular storey, suggesting that the risk of developing the soft-storey failure mechanism of the frame can be significantly reduced even in the case where the arrangement of the TMIWs is irregular along the height.