Multi-Platform Simulation of Infilled Shear-Critical Reinforced Concrete Frames Subjected to Earthquake Excitations

Abstract

This paper proposes a multi-platform simulation method for seismic performance assessment of masonry infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frames, especially for those who tend to fail in shear during an earthquake due to inadequate reinforcing details. The method is based on a micro-macro modeling approach where a detailed finite element (FE) model of the RC frame is incorporated with a strut model of the infill wall. It takes advantage of the strut model in terms of computational efficiency and the FE model based on the Modified Compression Field Theory (MCFT) to capture the nonlinear behaviour of the RC frame with explicit modeling of the beam-column joint failure and shear failure of the frame. The proposed method is validated against previously tested frames subjected to lateral loads, and its advantages over the conventional struct models are demonstrated through both quasi-static and dynamic analyses.