ABSTRACT
Traditional rectangular reinforced masonry shear walls (RMSW) usually have single-leg horizontal reinforcement and a single layer of vertical reinforcement because of practical limitations associated with masonry unit configuration and masonry construction technique. This chapter presents a description of the experimental program, test setup and instrumentation. It focuses on comparing the load-displacement hysteretic behaviour between Building III and Building IV. The chapter evaluates the experimental results of the fourth phase of a multi-phase research program that focuses on the system-level response of RMSW buildings under simulated seismic loading. It represents a part of a larger research program that was initiated at McMaster University. Very little research has been carried out on the performance of RMSW with boundary elements under lateral load because early methods of confining masonry did not diverge from a traditional wall layout of a rectangular cross-section, with a single layer of vertical reinforcement.
