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An accurate quantification of the displacement capacity of a reinforced masonry shear-wall system is of critical importance to seismic design because it has a direct implication on the seismic force modification factor, which is the R factor in ASCE 7. In spite of the shear capacity design requirement in TMS 402, special reinforced masonry walls within a building system could still develop shear-dominated behavior, which is perceived to be far more brittle than flexural behavior. These walls have a low shear-span ratio either because of the wall geometry (i.e., a low height-to-length ratio) or the coupling forces introduced by the horizontal diaphragms, which are often ignored in design. Although shear-dominated walls appeared to be very brittle in quasi-static tests conducted on single planar wall segments, reinforced masonry structures survived major ground shaking well in past earthquakes. This could be partly attributed to the beneficial influence of wall flanges as well as the over-strength of the system. Flanged walls are common in masonry buildings, but their behavior is not well understood because of the lack of laboratory test data. Furthermore, other walls or columns that are present in the structural system to carry gravity loads could enhance the lateral resistance of the shear walls and the displacement capacity of the system by providing axial restraints as well as alternative load paths for gravity loads. A research project is being carried out with shake-table tests to investigate the displacement capacity of shear-dominated reinforced masonry wall systems. This paper presents results of the first shake-table test conducted in this project on a full-scale single-story coupled T-wall system. The structure was tested to a drift ratio exceeding 15% without collapse.
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This content will become publicly available on September 1, 2026
A Return to the Thick Space of the Wall
This paper examines a return to the thick space of the masonry wall. The wall is where a building embraces its context and where humanity can physically experience this nexus. Contemporary technologies applied to masonry construction offer a return to both tactile solidity and the space of interaction between a building and its users. Precedents from Catalan vernacular to Herzog & de Meuron will be contrasted to offer a way of thinking through the spatial potential created through the modularity and specificity of blocks.
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- PAR ID:
- 10639830
- Publisher / Repository:
- University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Building Technology Educators’ Society
- Volume:
- 0
- Issue:
- 0
- ISSN:
- 1531-7714
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- masonry walls mass walls
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Other: application/pdf
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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An accurate quantification of the displacement capacity of a reinforced masonry shear-wall system is of critical importance to seismic design because it has a direct implication on the seismic force modification factor, which is the R factor in ASCE 7. In spite of the shear capacity design requirement in TMS 402, special reinforced masonry walls within a building system could still develop shear-dominated behavior, which is perceived to be far more brittle than flexural behavior. These walls have a low shear-span ratio either because of the wall geometry (i.e., a low height-to-length ratio) or the coupling forces introduced by the horizontal diaphragms, which are often ignored in design. Although shear-dominated walls appeared to be very brittle in quasi-static tests conducted on single planar wall segments, reinforced masonry structures survived major ground shaking well in past earthquakes. This could be partly attributed to the beneficial influence of wall flanges as well as the over-strength of the system. Flanged walls are common in masonry buildings, but their behavior is not well understood because of the lack of laboratory test data. Furthermore, other walls or columns that are present in the structural system to carry gravity loads could enhance the lateral resistance of the shear walls and the displacement capacity of the system by providing axial restraints as well as alternative load paths for gravity loads. A research project is being carried out with shake-table tests to investigate the displacement capacity of shear-dominated reinforced masonry wall systems. This paper presents results of the first shake-table test conducted in this project on a full-scale single-story coupled T-wall system. The structure was tested to a drift ratio exceeding 15% without collapse.more » « less
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