Experimental study on improving seismic behavior of load-bearing masonry wall made of autoclaved aerated concrete

Abstract

To investigate the seismic behavior of autoclaved aerated concrete load-bearing masonry wall (AACLMW), a piece of control block wall without constructional measures and five pieces of block walls with different constructional measures were tested under low reversed cyclic loading which imitated low to moderate earthquake force. The seismic behavior of AACLMW with different constructional measures in terms of failure mode, hysteretic curve, deformation capacity and displacement ductility was studied and compared with that without constructional measures. The experimental results indicate that the constructional measures comprising constructional columns and horizontal concrete strips are effective for improving the seismic behavior of AACLMW. The study in this paper can provide a reliable experimental basis for further analysis and engineering application of AACLMW in the future.

Keywords

autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) / load-bearing masonry wall (LMW) / seismic behavior / constructional column / concrete strip

References

[1] Zhao Quanbin. Experimental Study on Improving Seismic Performance of Load-Bearing Masonry Walls[D]. 2005, Tianjin, China: School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University.

[2] Van Boggelen W, Völker Kai. New opportunities for autoclaved aerated concrete[J]. Concrete Precasting Plant and Technology, 2004, 70(3): 60-64.

[3] JGJ101-1996 Specification of Testing Methods for Earthquake Resistant Building[S]. China Architecture and Building Press, Beijing, China, 1997 (in Chinese).

[4] JGJ17-1984. Technical Specification of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete[S]. 2008, Beijing, China: China Architecture and Building Press.

[5] Wittman F H. Autoclaved Aerated Concrete-Properties, Testing and Design(RILEM Recommended Practice)[M]. 1993, London, UK: Spon Press.

[6] Yang D, Gao Y, Sun J, et al. Experimental study on seismic behavior of concrete block walls with construction-core column system[J]. Journal of Building Structures, 2000, 21(4): 22-27.

[7] Cheng C, Zhou B, Wang X, et al. Study on seismic behavior of lime sand brick walls with constructional column[J]. Sichuan Building Scientific Research, 1989 2-6.

[8] Li L, Liu Weiqing. Study on seismic behavior of concrete small hollow block masonry with the constructional column[J]. Journal of Engineering Seismic, 2001 16-20.

[9] Schermer D. Seismic behavior of autoclaved aerated concrete masonry constructions[C]. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Autoclaved Aerated Concrete. London, UK, 2005 387-394.

[10] Tanner Jennifer E, Varela Jorge L, Klingner Richard E, et al. Seismic testing of autoclaved aerated concrete shear walls: A comprehensive review[J]. ACI Structural Journal, 2005, 102(3): 374-382.