Seismic performance of infilled reinforced concrete buildings

Abstract

In the Moroccan seismic code, infill walls are considered as secondary elements and their lateral strength and stiffness are neglected in the design when considering horizontal seismic loads. In this article we propose to investigate the effect of infill on the seismic performance of the buildings. A 6-stories reinforced concrete frame building is investigated. The concept of equivalent strut is used for infill panel. Diagonal strut carries only compression forces. Strut properties are calculated according to the FEMA306.Software analysis SAP2000 is used to conduct numerical simulations. Numerical results show that there is a change in the internal forces, in the fundamental period of vibration and in the lateral story drift when masonry infill is included in the design. Seismic behavior of infill frame is different from that predicted by bare frame.