Shake Table Seismic Performance Assessment of Lightly Reinforced Concrete Block Shear Walls
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 141, Issue 2
Abstract
There is a need to develop a reinforced masonry (RM) seismic performance database (SPD) of experimental results in order to facilitate adoption of RM seismic force-resisting systems (SFRS) in the next generation of performance-based seismic design (PBSD) codes. As a contribution to this SPD, and within a larger ongoing research program, this paper reports on recent shake table tests performed on lightly reinforced masonry shear walls. The test walls covered a range of design parameters to facilitate benchmarking, further performance investigation, and calibration of numerical models as well as future development of fragility curves within the context of PBSD. The design parameters of the walls were selected to meet the requirements of the lightly reinforced conventional construction category. This particular RM wall category is not permitted in moderate and high seismic zones in the Canada based on Canadian masonry design code. Within the context of PBSD, the wall seismic performances, in terms of damage levels observed during the shake table tests, were generally acceptable considering the levels of earthquake record intensities to which the walls were subjected. The walls did not experience any damage during low amplitude tests, corresponding to frequent minor earthquake events, incurred repairable damage under higher level tests, and maintained their integrity under the highest level record selected to mimic the seismic hazard levels of the highest seismicity zones in Canada. The tests also demonstrated the capability of lightly reinforced masonry shear walls to adequately dissipate energy through nonlinear flexural response. The test results are expected to contribute to the growing SPD of RM SFRS components, and to facilitate a better understanding of the behavior and performance of lightly reinforced masonry walls under realistic seismic loads.
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Acknowledgments
The financial support for this project was provided by the McMaster University Centre for Effective Design of Structures (CEDS) funded through the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund (ORDCF) as well as an Early Researcher Award (ERA) grant, both are programs of the Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI). Support was also provided through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. Provision of mason time by the Ontario Masonry Contractors Association (OMCA) and the Canada Masonry Design Centre (CMDC) is appreciated. The provision of the scaled blocks through a grant from the Canadian Concrete Masonry Producers Association (CCMPA) is gratefully acknowledged.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 141 • Issue 2 • February 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 30, 2013
Accepted: Jan 16, 2014
Published online: Jul 2, 2014
Discussion open until: Dec 2, 2014
Published in print: Feb 1, 2015
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