This paper presents a numerical study of the behavior of existing masonry-infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frame that was studied experimentally at the University of Patra (Greece) for a PhD study. It is a 2:3 scale three-storey structure with non-seismic design and detailing, subjected to in-plane cyclic loading.
Two infilled frames were designed and built with and without strengthening material Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM). This experimental case study was simulated and analyzed in DIANA finite element analysis (FEA) software.
In DIANA FEA software, a 2D masonry-infilled RC frame was simulated and a structural linear, eigenvalue and nonlinear cyclic analysis were performed to simulate the experimental results. The objective of this study was to identify suitable numerical constitutive models of each component of the structural system in order to create a numerical tool to represent the masonry infill’s in-plane behaviour in DIANA FEA.
The model results were compared and represented an agreed correlation to the experimental ones through a static nonlinear cyclic analysis. The capabilities of FE models that simulated the experimental nonlinear cyclic behavior of the tested masonry-infilled RC frame are illustrated. Finally, conclusions are drawn regarding the effectiveness of the analytical model to capture the behavior of the proposed structural system.
