NCEER-97-0020 | 12/31/1997 | 104 pages
TOC: The table of contents is provided.
Keywords: Testing Technique. Seismic Performance. Multi-story Infilled frames. Pseudo-Dynamic Method. Dynamic Structure Performance. Structural Capacity. Seismic Demand. Imparted Energy. Hysteretic Energy. Macro-Model.
Abstract: An accurate and practical testing technique to study the seismic performance of multi-story infilled frames is formulated. This technique is based on the pseudo-dynamic method which can provide an acceptable approximation of the dynamic performance of structures under the influence of real earthquake excitation. The pseudo-dynamic experimental tech-nique is outlined and applied for testing a two-bay, two-story gravity load designed steel frame infilled with unreinforced concrete block masonry walls. It was shown that careful implementation of the pseudo-dynamic technique may lead to an excellent control over the experimental error propagation, even for stiff structures such as infilled frames. Based on the obtained results of the pseudo-dynamic experiments, the structural capacity as well as the corresponding seismic demand was assessed. From this study, it is concluded that the imparted energy and the hysteretic energy correlate well with the observed damage state of the infill walls. From the observed crack patterns of the infill walls, a macro-model for the infill panels is suggested.