Out-of-plane performance of full-scale infill wall in timber frame structures under damage

In traditional brick-timber dwellings, infill wall cracking and surface weathering can substantially reduce out-of-plane (OOP) capacity and increase the risk of wall collapse, threatening overall structural safety. To research the influence mechanism of damage effects on the OOP mechanical behaviour of concealed column timber frame infill walls, four groups of concealed column timber frame infill walls with a scale ratio of 1:2 were established using ABAQUS. The accuracy of the modelling method was verified by the excellent agreement between the numerical results and experimental data. Furthermore, a full-scale model of the concealed column timber frame infill wall was developed to investigate the OOP mechanical performance of infill walls, as well as the influence of infill wall cracks and surface weathering on the OOP mechanical properties and failure mechanisms of traditional dwelling walls. The results indicated that the OOP peak displacement ratio between scaled and full-scale models approximates 0.58, aligning with the scaling factor. The crack position significantly affects mechanical properties.