Studies on effects of infills in seismic resistant R/C construction

Experimental and analytical studies of the quantitative effects of infills in the seismic performance of buildings (particularly in buildings whose structural systems are based on the use of moment resisting frames alone are summarized); and the implications of these effects regarding the design of new buildings and retrofitting of existing R/C frame structures were evaluated. The first part is concerned with the infill problem and the experimental investigation conducted to study the effects of infill panels on seismic response of reinforced concrete frames. This investigation consisted of a series of quasi-static cyclic and monotonic load tests on 1/3-scale models of the lower 3-1/2 stories of an 11 story-three bay reinforced concrete frame infilled in the outer two bays. The reinforced concrete moment frame was designed for high rotational ductility and resistance to degradation under reversed cyclic shear loads.