Seismic vulnerability assessment of reinforced concrete frames with various masonry infill patterns

This study investigates the effect of masonry panel configurations on the overall behaviour of reinforced concrete frame buildings, with a special focus on the role of openings and changes in the distribution of infills throughout the building. To thoroughly examine the effects of infill configurations, a detailed parametric study has been conducted, making assumptions about how different spatial distributions of infill walls might influence the building's vulnerability. Consequently, numerical models have been created to simulate these infill structures using single-strut models. Nonlinear analyses were performed using an incrementally increased set of ground records, following the well-known approach of incremental dynamic analysis (IDA). Intensity measure (IM)-based procedures were utilized to derive fragility functions. These functions provide substantial information to compare the performance of different cases and evaluate how various infill configurations affect the building's resilience. The findings highlight significant impacts of masonry panel distribution within frames and identify the cases with vulnerable behaviour.