Role of Toothing on In-Plane and Out-of-Plane Behavior of Confined Masonry Walls

Abstract

Load-carrying capacity of confined masonry walls in the out-of-plane direction after being damaged is crucial for overall stability and is affected by the type of interface present at the wall edge and column, such as toothing. Shake table tests were conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a toothed connection on the out-of-plane behavior of damaged confined masonry walls. Four half-scale clay brick masonry walls were subjected to a sequence of slow cyclic in-plane drifts and shake table–generated ground motions in the out-of-plane direction. Specimens included one regular RC infill frame and three confined masonry panels, two with different densities of toothing and one with no toothed connection. The specimen with the infill panel demonstrated a higher risk of out-of-plane collapse, whereas the other three confined masonry wall specimens maintained structural integrity and out-of-plane stability even when severely damaged. The confined masonry walls with or without toothing enhanced the interaction between masonry walls and RC confining elements and were able to delay the failure by controlling out-of-plane deflections even after an in-plane drift cycle of 1.75%.