Experimental cyclic response assessment of partially grouted reinforced clay brick masonry walls

Abstract

As part of an ongoing research project into the seismic response of partially grouted reinforced masonry (PG-RM) walls, this article presents the analysis of the experimental results of eight full-scale walls that were tested in laboratory under cyclic lateral loading. All walls tested were constructed using multi-perforated clay bricks and horizontally reinforced with ladder-type bed-joint reinforcement. Three design parameters were investigated in this research: wall aspect ratio, axial load level, and horizontal reinforcement ratio. The combined effect of these variables on shear response of the walls tested is analyzed and discussed. In addition, the accuracy of four shear expressions available in the literature is assessed against the experimental results obtained. The study has confirmed that a rise in the horizontal reinforcement ratio may lead to an increase in lateral capacity of PG-RM walls, although this effect would be more remarkable for square and slender walls. The results obtained also suggest that the influence of axial load level becomes more relevant as the aspect ratio decreases. In addition, moderate values of displacement ductility, ranging from 2.5 to 5.5, were estimated from a bilinear idealization. At the level of maximum lateral force, the average drift level for all walls tested in this experimental program ranged between 0.2 and 0.62%. Finally, the research also confirms the need to review the shear expressions currently available for the design and assessment of this type of walls.