Out-of-plane proof testing of masonry infill walls

Abstract

Proof testing of multiplefired-clay-brick unreinforced masonry (URM) infill walls set within reinforced concreteframes was undertaken using airbags to simulate out-of-plane (OOP) loading. The proof testing was conducted toprovide engineers in various research and practitioner roles with verified wall behaviour for the purpose ofseismic assessment of buildings. A total of 19 tests were performed in six buildings. It was observed that two-wayOOPflexure can substantially improve the OOP load-carrying capacity of tested infill walls compared to one-wayvertical OOPflexure and that boundary restraints and presumed‘arching’action from the building frame cansignificantly increase the OOP capacity of URM walls. In addition, the effects of simulated in-plane damage onthe OOP capacity of a URM infill wall were investigated, and it was found that the damage reduced the OOPstrength by up to 40%. On-site proof testing is demonstrated as a simple and cost-effective way to establishactual wall lateral capacities in cases where boundary conditions cannot be clearly established and existinganalytical models predict low lateral capacities.