Abstract:
Bricks-filled walls are a common structural element in numerous buildings both old and new. Many of these buildings and structures are located in seismic zones, and some of these structures will fail after repeated loading. Unfortunately, since bricks infill walls are nonstructural components, very few methods exist to determine the seismic response of these walls. Since current code documents provide little recommendations for the effect of such infilled walls on the performance of RC frames. Therefore, there is a pressing need for a simple and versatile approach to predict the effects of the bricks infilled walls on the building response under seismic loads. The finite element analysis program ANSYS is utilised here owing to its capabilities to predict the effect of the infilled walls on RC frames. An extensive set of parameters is investigated including infilling, infilled wall thickness, infill walls with opening, and regularity of the infilled wall panels. The effects of the above-mentioned parameters on the lateral drifts, and base shear force of RC frames are investigated. The results demonstrate the significance of the investigated parameters on the seismic response of bricks infilled RC frames. Finally, conclusions that may be useful for designers, have been drawn, and represented.