COMPARISON BETWEEN THE EFFECT OF LINTEL AND LINTEL BAND ON THE GLOBAL PERFORMANCE OF LOAD BEARING WALLS AND MASONRY INFILLED RC FRAMES

Improperly designed brick masonry walls cause undesirable effects under seismic loading in both brick masonry in-filled reinforced concrete (R C) frames and masonry load bearing wall structures. Doors and windows (openings) are unavoidable components in brick masonry in-filled RC structures and masonry load bearing wall structures because of its functional and ventilation requirements. The presence of openings in brick masonry walls reduces the lateral stiffness and strength of the wall in both RC and load bearing structures, which changes the actual behavior of structure. If these openings are located in the restricted zones like areas within middle two thirds o f a wall wall, then the wall needs to be strengthened b y providing necessary horizontal/vertical (bands) structural elements such as lintel or lintel bands around them.