Seismic performance test and finite element analysis of a new slotted energy dissipation masonry infill wall

Earthquake disasters showed that the destruction of masonry infill walls not only caused serious economic losses, but also affected building functionality and hindered the rescue after the earthquake. Therefore, enhancing the seismic performance of infill walls is of great significance to improving the overall seismic resilience of buildings. A low-damage slotted energy dissipation masonry infill wall is proposed by reasonably setting vertical gaps and connectors in the wall. Cyclic loading tests of a full-scale slotted energy dissipation infill wall is carried out to study the damage evolution mechanism and hysteresis characteristics. The seismic performance of the slotted energy dissipation infill wall is also simulated by finite element analysis. The results show that the proposed slotted energy dissipation masonry infill wall is effective and feasible. Compared with ordinary masonry infill walls, the deformation capacity is increased by approximately 1.6 times, and the damage degree under the same displacement is significantly reduced. The slotted energy dissipation infill wall only experiences slight damage when the story drift ratio reaches 1/200, and sustains moderate damage when the story drift ratio reaches 1/100. © 2021, Engineering Mechanics Press. All right reserved.