ABSTRACT
Seven single-story reinforced concrete masonry walls with dimensions of 3,20 m of length, by 2,80 m of height, 0,12 m of thickness and with reinforcement distributed in the some main dimensions, were evaluated in the laboratory using two different overlapping conditions for the horizontal reinforcement. This chapter examines bond conditions for the horizontal reinforcement exhibit no improvement on the behavior of the walls. The lateral shear-deformation curves obtained for each wall have been used as a basis for the calibration of a hysteresis model. Reinforced concrete masonry is one of the most commonly used materials in constructions in countries like Costa Rica because of the high seismic hazard in the region. Vertical reinforcement combined with horizontal reinforcement improves the performance of masonry shear walls, but according to post-earthquake observations the vertical reinforcement alone has less impact than the horizontal one in the shear capacity of the walls.
