Numerical and Experimental Assessment of an Improved Design Detail for Partially Grouted Reinforced Masonry Wall Structures

Abstract

Reinforced masonry buildings predominantly are partially grouted in areas of low or moderate seismicity in North America. The walls in such structures typically contain widely spaced separately grouted vertical reinforced cells and bond beams, making such walls prone to brittle shear-dominated behavior. This paper assessed the effectiveness of a new design detail which uses side-by-side vertical reinforced cells to improve the seismic performance of partially grouted masonry (PGM) wall structures. A numerical study was conducted with nonlinear finite-element models to understand the influence of the new design detail on the behavior of wall segments by using data from previous quasi-static tests. A full-scale single-story PGM wall structure was tested on a shake table to assess the influence of the new design detail in the performance of a building system. The test results were supplemented with finite-element analyses. The numerical and experimental results showed that the use of side-by-side reinforced cells can enhance the strength and ductility of PGM structures.