Interaction between brick veneer walls and domestic framed structures when subjected to earthquakes

During an earthquake event, domestic brick veneer structures experience significant interaction between the supporting frame and veneer walls. This interaction leads to load transfer between the brick veneer walls and frame through the brick ties. This paper investigates the interaction between out-of-plane veneer walls and frame. The paper reports the results of simulated earthquake tests on a full scale brick veneer one-room-house. An analytical model of the test house was developed, and verified against the experimental results, and subsequently used to predict the interaction between the frame and the veneer. A parametric study on the analytical model is also presented. Based on the experimental and analytical results it is concluded that brick veneer steel-framed domestic structures can survive vigorous ground excitation without damage. However, there are some deficiencies in the current method for evaluating the performance of brick ties when connected to steel studs.