Experimental study on the seismic performance of non-ductile RC frames infilled with sliding subpanels

The interaction between RC frames and masonry infill walls can lead to catastrophic failures as demonstrated by field evidence and research studies. The performance of a recently proposed innovative retrofit scheme for such structures is examined here experimentally. The scheme aims at preventing the shear-dominated brittle failure by introducing horizontal sliding joints, which divide the infill into subpanels. Three single-bay frames, including a control specimen with a regular solid infill and two specimens with horizontal joints, were tested at the University at Buffalo. The two retrofitted specimens incorporated different configurations for the joints as well as the connection between the infill and the RC frame. The three specimens had RC frames with the same non-ductile reinforcement detailing representing the construction practice in California in the 1920s. The paper discusses the design procedure and the construction details of the infills with the sliding subpanels, as well as the performance of the three specimens. The test results indicate that the damage can be significantly reduced and the ductility of the structure can be substantially increased when the infill is divided into subpanels that are allowed to slide.