Effect of partial infill walls on collapse behavior of reinforced concrete frames

The main objective of the study is to investigate the effect of partial infill walls on collapse mechanism of reinforced concrete (RC) frames using finite element models and experimental data. The modeling methods are described in detail and are validated by quasi-static experiments conducted on two RC frame specimens with and without partial infill walls under column removal scenarios. Parametric analyses are performed to investigate the effects of partial infill wall type, dimensions of the opening, and strength of the mortar joints and masonry. The numerical results show that different infill wall configurations have distinct influence on the collapse behavior of RC frames in terms of load distribution, resistance force and failure mode. The infill parts surrounding the opening significantly influence the applied vertical load in the compressive stage, and the infill parts on both sides of the opening influence the flexural response of beams in damaged bays. The increases of the strength of bed joints and masonry are shown to increase the applied vertical load. Finally, a simplified analytical method is proposed to efficiently estimate the collapse resistance force of RC frames with different types of partial infill walls in order to facilitate the structural engineers.