Assessment of innovative solutions for non-load bearing masonry enclosures

This paper presents some of the results of the research project “Masonry Enclosures” developed in the framework of the transnational access (TA) to LNEC’s triaxial shake table within the FP7 project SERIES.

In order to ensure that in-plane and out-of-plane damage of masonry infill walls due to seismic actions complies with the performance levels’ requirements, Eurocode 8 imposes the use of reinforced solutions. Nevertheless, it does not provide any design rules or methodologies for such reinforced masonry enclosures. An experimental programme was thus defined for assessing the response of innovative solutions for non-load bearing masonry enclosures using LNEC’s triaxial shake table. Two reinforcement solutions were tested on single leaf clay brick infill walls: (i) horizontal reinforcement in the bedding planes of the masonry units and (ii) reinforced mortar coating. Furthermore, a testing device for masonry infill panels was specifically conceived for this project. A detailed description of the methods used is given and the experimental results are partially presented and interpreted on the basis of the structural response and its evolution with damage.