Relationship between shaking table tests and simultaneous in-plane and out-of-plane cyclic tests in masonry walls strengthened with bed joint reinforcement

This study investigated the efficacy of a strengthening technique, employing bed joint reinforcement alongside mortar wallposts and a pioneering approach by combining in-plane and outof-plane loading in cyclic tests to comprehensively evaluate masonry wall behavior. The investigation started with scrutinizing two full-scale walls under the combined cyclic loading and a single-story 3D building under shaking table test. This paper investigated the efficiency of mortar wallpost, which was built during the construction of walls, in bearing out-of-plane loads under simultaneous out-of-plane and in-plane cyclic loading conditions, as well as shaking table tests. Additionally, the performance of specimens subjected to the proposed simultaneous out-of-plane and in-plane cyclic loading was compared to the results from shaking table tests. The findings indicate that longer walls with mortar wallpost performed similarly to shorter walls without wallposts. Therefore, the wallposts were successful in reducing the free span of the wall, effectively transferring forces to the wall, and not interfering with the in-plane behavior of the frame. The mortar wallposts are thus applicable and effective in masonry materials. Moreover, comparing the results from cyclic and shaking table tests shows that cyclic tests can conservatively predict the seismic behavior of walls and serve as a cost-effective alternative when shaking table tests are not available.