Tall masonry buildings behaviour

Abstract

Bracing walls are important element to buildings bracing system and have attracted the attention of many researchers in recent years. Significant research has been done to study bracing walls behavior. Unfortunately, most were in walls without openings and single-floor height only, despite the fact that bracing walls with openings are typical walls in actual buildings. Considering opening to couple wall are more significant for tall buildings analyses. The work proposed here aims to evaluate the behavior of three-story reinforced masonry walls coupled by door masonry lintel and window (masonry structural frames) or by reinforced concrete beams (hybrid reinforced masonry and concrete frames). Tests will be performed at 1/2reduced physical scale, with quasi-static cyclic loading at the top only. Work will be done the University of Calgary (Canada), with some test performed at the Brigham Young University Structures Laboratory (USA). Nine masonry frames instrumented with the aid of an optical system and regular strain gages and LVDTs. Results from the tests will contribute to understanding how masonry wall with openings can contribute to lateral load stability. Will it bear a frame behavior or will the regions under openings behave as a strut? Which are the differences between designing a rigid reinforced concrete beam or masonry beam to couple the walls? Tests will assess these and other aspects. Results from the tests, also will contribute to spread the use of masonry structures on tall buildings as widely seen in Brazil and may contribute to also spread its use on seismic and wind areas in North-America, Australasia and other. (AU)