Experimental In-Plane Strength Investigation of Reinforced Concrete Masonry Walls with Openings

Abstract

This paper presents test results of eight partially grout-filled perforated concrete masonry walls that were subjected to cyclic lateral loading. Test results obtained from this research indicated that the size of openings and the length of trimming reinforcement significantly affected the lateral strength of perforated masonry walls. It was shown that the current New Zealand nonspecific masonry design standard NZS 4229 unsafely overpredicts the strength capacity of concrete masonry walls with small openings, and an amendment is proposed to rectify this matter. It was also shown that NZS 4229 is increasingly conservative as the height of openings increased. Diagonal cracking patterns that formed during testing were observed to align well with the load paths by which lateral shear force was assumed to be transferred to the foundation when using strut-and-tie analysis. This observation supports the use of the strut-and-tie technique as a viable tool to evaluate the flexural strength of walls of this type.