ABSTRACT
A research project at ETH Zurich on the seismic behavior of masonry wallettes with soft-layer membrane placed in the bed joints is underway. The main goals of the research project are to investigate the influence of the soft layer on masonry behavior under static-cyclic shear, to assess the shear mechanical properties of different bearing layers, and to establish if and how it modifies the lateral load resistance mechanism of the wall. This paper presents some preliminary results of this investigation.
