ABSTRACT
To investigate the effect of interfacial gaps on the in-plane behaviour of masonry infills bounded by Reinforced Concrete (RC) frames, five scaled masonry infilled RC frame specimens and one bare frame specimen were tested under an in-plane monotonically applied lateral load to failure. Masonry walls built inside steel or RC frames have been commonly used in modern building construction. To provide a better understanding of masonry infilled RC frames with interfacial gaps and to examine the efficacy of the aforementioned design guidelines, an experimental program was carried out to investigate the effect of interfacial gaps on the in-plane behaviour and strength of masonry infills bounded by RC frames. The infills were constructed using custom-made, halfscale standard 200 mm Concrete Masonry Units laying in the running bond. The infilled frame was capable of sustaining the load after the ultimate load with significant deformation and final failure was masonry crushing at the infill loaded corner.
