Out-of-Plane Performance of Reinforced Masonry Shear Walls Constructed with Boundary Elements

Reinforced masonry shear walls with boundary elements have been introduced recently as a seismic force–resisting system as alternative to traditional reinforced masonry shear walls with rectangular cross sections. The introduction of the boundary elements enhances the wall’s in-plane performance because of the confinement action of the horizontal steel ties within the boundary elements that increase the compressive strain capacity and thus …