Characteristics of Rectangular, Flanged, and End-Confined Reinforced Concrete Masonry Shear Walls for Seismic Design

This paper contains detailed analyses of an experimental study conducted to evaluate the ductility, stiffness degradation and energy dissipation characteristics of rectangular, flanged, and end-confined reinforced masonry (RM) shear walls failing in flexure. The test program consisted of seven two- and three-story RM shear walls, with aspect ratios of 1.5 and 2.2, tested under reversed cyclic lateral displacements simulating seismic loading effects. Documentation of the compressive strains at the wall toes, wall base curvatures, and ductility levels attained are presented. The paper focuses on determining the extent of plasticity over the wall height, evaluating the contribution of flexure and shear deformations to the overall wall lateral displacements, identifying the trend of stiffness degradation, and quantifying the amount of energy dissipation. The rectangular walls displacement predictions at ultimate loads using Canadian Standards Association (CSA) S304.1 were in better agreement with the experimental results compared to the Masonry Standards Joint Committee (MSJC) code predictions. However, both the MSJC code and the CSA S304.1 significantly overestimated the test results for the flanged and end-confined walls. Analysis of the measured displacements showed that the contribution of shear displacement to the overall wall displacement was, on average, 21 and 25% of the total displacement for the walls with aspect ratio of 2.2 and 1.5, respectively. The relationship between the energy dissipation and the ratio of the postyield to the yield displacements was found to be almost linear for the test walls. In addition, the wall stiffnesses degraded rapidly to about 60% of their gross stiffness at very low drift levels (0.1% drift). Measured compressive strain at the wall toes were almost double those specified in both North American codes. Extent of plasticity over the wall height was about 75% of the wall length. The data presented in this paper is expected to facilitate better understanding of RM wall behavior under in-plane load to researchers, practicing engineers, and code developers. This study aimed at presenting the flanged and end-confined categories as cost-effective alternatives to enhance the seismic performance of midrise RM construction in North America.