ABSTRACT
This paper presents results of in-plane shear tests carried out in ZAG laboratory in Ljubljana (Slovenia) on an RC frame with masonry infill made of clay blocks (KEBE OrthoBlock). The frame fixed at the bottom and loaded vertically at columns’ tops was excited by horizontal quasi-static cyclic loads at the top beam level. These loads forced various and gradually increasing drift levels (positive and negative) of the frame, with 3 repetitions at each level. Acquired forces and measured displacements allowed drawing hysteresis loops for determination of dissipation energy. Additionally, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) system was used for visualization of the behavior of the frame and the infill. There were tested 3 infill specimens of different configurations at interfaces between RC frame and infills. Type A (reference) was made of the infill bonded classically to the RC frame by mineral mortar. In type B, spaces at sides and top interfaces of 2 cm thickness were cut by saw and filled by polyurethane injection making PolyUrethane Flexible Joints (PUFJ). In type C, all interfaces were constructed from prefabricated PUFJ laminates and then the infill was erected. The specimen A was forced up to 1.6% of the frame horizontal drift when initial crushing at the corners and complete detachment at the frame-infill interface occurred. At this stage, the infill A could collapse even with small out-of-plane forces. The specimen B and C were forced up to 3.5% and 4.4% of the frame horizontal drift, respectively. B and C infills suffered crushing at the corners but the PUFJ interface protected the damaged infills against out-of-plain failure.
