Experimental study of reinforced masonry walls subjected to combined axial load and out-of-plane bendingThis article is one of a selection of papers published in this Special Issue on Masonry.

Abstract

Twelve reinforced masonry wall specimens with nominal dimensions of 2400 mm × 800 mm × 150 mm were tested under eccentric compressive loading with varying eccentricity to thickness ratios, e/t, and end eccentricity ratios, e 1 /e 2 . Pinned-pinned support conditions resulted in a slenderness ratio of 17.1 for all specimens. Test results showed that the variation of ultimate load, P u , and effective modulus of rigidity values, EI eff , at failure depended on the type of failure mode, which was influenced by e/t and e 1 /e 2 ratios and their interaction. Comparing ultimate loads obtained by test against those calculated using the EI eff values from the Canadian standard CSA S304.1-04 and against the ones calculated using the EI eff values proposed herein indicates that, while the moment magnifier method used in the current Canadian design standard to account for secondary effects is effective, the standard underestimates EI eff values, especially in regions where compression-controlled failure tends to predominate and, thus, leads to a conservative design. However, the use of proposed EI eff values in combination with the moment magnifier method provides estimations of ultimate loads in reasonably good agreement with test results.