Influence of Confinement Plates on the Seismic Performance of Reinforced Clay Brick Masonry Walls

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the behavior of clay masonry walls subjected to cyclic racking loading. It proposes that the seismic performance of clay masonry walls can be substantially improved if the section is adequately confined in the extreme compression zone at the toe of the wall to delay crushing of the masonry unit. This is accomplished by placing a 3.2mm thick galvanized steel plate in the mortar joint, of successive courses, in the plastic hinge region of the wall. The objective is investigated by conducting seven tests on full-scale clay masonry walls with various longitudinal and confining reinforcing ratios under seismic excitation. The results presented in this thesis show that adequately confining the grout of the clay masonry walls in the plastic hinge region may lead to substantially favorable seismic performance.