In-plane experimental study on seismic behavior of multi-storey masonry wall
Xin Ren1 Bi Dengshan2 Yao Jitao1 Ma Pengfei1
1. Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China;
2. National Test Center of Quality and Safety Supervision for Industrial Buildings and Structures, Beijing 100088, China
In order to verify the spandrel failure pattern of multi-storey masonry wall with openings, a three-story and three-bay masonry model with a scale ratio of 1:3 was designed for the quasi-static low-cycle loading test. The failure process and characteristics of the multi-story masonry model were analyzed. Additionally, the hysteretic behavior, skeleton curve, stiffness degradation, deformation, ductility and energy dissipation of the overall wall and the wall at each floor were studied. The test results indicate that the process of spandrel failure wall can be divided into three stages: crack emergence, deformation development and strength degradation. As the first seismic fortification line, spandrels can participate in the overall structural energy dissipation in advance, reduce the rate of stiffness degradation and increase the ductility and deformation capacity of the overall wall, which make its failure pattern more reasonable compared with that of pier. The research results exhibit the good seismic behaviors and deformation characteristics of the spandrel failure wall, which provide the basis for achieving the reasonable failure mechanism of the masonry structures.