A parametric study in reinforced concrete frames with different infill wall materials

Abstract

Understanding the behavior of structures during earthquakes is crucial for ensuring safety. Despite their significant impact on buildings, infill walls are often overlooked in seismic assessments, contributing to the complexity of a structure. Because of their intricate nature and modeling difficulties, infill walls are frequently excluded from seismic models. However, given the prevalence of reinforced concrete buildings with various infill wall materials in earthquake-prone areas, it is essential to incorporate infill walls for a more realistic evaluation of seismic behavior. This study scrutinizes a building that sustained damage in the Izmir earthquake in Turkey. The building was represented in four distinct models using the SAP2000 V24 finite element program: without infill walls, with porotherm clay blocks, burnt clay brick, and autoclaved aerated concrete blocks. Real parameters of the building were utilized in the modeling process. Upon comparing the results of the time history analysis, it was observed that the presence of infill walls had a positive impact on various building properties, including period, ground floor shear force, column bearing capacity, and inter-story drift ratio. Additionally, infill walls increased base shear forces on the ground floors and the overall base shear force. Notably, similar outcomes were obtained with porotherm clay blocks and burnt clay brick as infill wall types, while autoclaved aerated concrete blocks exhibited lower stiffness than other infill wall models.