Behavior of Masonry Walls with Respect to Seismic Stress, Analysis and Recommendation

Structures with masonry infill panels and reinforced concrete frame are widely used structural systems and by lack of knowledge considered secondary, masonry infill walls are considered until now as non-load-bearing elements, therefore the role of taking and transmitting vertical and horizontal loads (seismic) is ensured only by the reinforced concrete structure. However, experience from past earthquakes around the world has shown that this calculation approach is simplifying and approximate, because we have found during the analysis of earthquake damage that the neglect of masonry walls in calculations can decisively influence and even upset the response of structures to seismic forces. The tests carried out in our research and the numerical modelling carried out on several cases have shown that the effect of shear stress on gantry masonry structures can be taken into account by replacing in the numerical modelling the masonry with equivalent diagonals whose thickness will be calculated according to the physical and mechanical characteristics of the gantry and the masonry.