ABSTRACT
A multiphase research program has been implemented at McMaster university in order to investigate the seismic response of Reinforced Masonry Shear Walls (RMSW) on the component—and system-level. The migration from force-based to displacement-based seismic design approaches requires analytical models that are simple enough to be adopted by practicing engineers. In order to calculate the RMSW displacement, the RMSW's secant stiffness will first need to be quantified at the aforementioned four key performance points. The building's load-displacement relationship was evaluated by superimposing the load-displacement of the individual walls aligned along the loading direction. The building strength was calculated by superposition of the response of the RMSW aligned along the loading direction and thus neglecting the contribution of the RMSW aligned orthogonal to the loading direction. The trilinear model was capable of predicting the load-displacement relationships of the RMSW individual walls, and buildings. The proposed quad-linear model predictions will be compared to the trilinear model predictions and the experimental data.
