Research On Seismic Performance Of A New Light-weight Bearing Masonry Of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete

Masonry structural system is commonly used for residential building in many cities of China nowadays. With the promulgation and implementation of some new policies for energy saving and circular economy, it is very important for theory and application to make researches on mechanical property, seismic performance in earthquake region, construction technique and anti-cracking measure of light-weight and energy-saving building materials.Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) bearing block has many advantages, such as light-weight, good performance on thermal insulation and fire resistance. However, there is seldom research on the application of AAC bearing masonry in seismic region. Based on the experimental and theoretical study, the seismic performance of AAC bearing masonry with film mortar is discussed and a formula for calculating the seismic shear strength is presented. This dissertation is composed of three parts as follows:Firstly, an experimental investigation is presented on evaluating the seismic performance of AAC bearing masonry walls. Fifteen specimens were designed and tested under combined uniformly distributed constant vertical load and cyclic lateral load. The test data indicate that AAC bearing masonry walls have favorable seismic performance and can be used as residential building system in seismic regions. Moreover, some structural measures, such as constructional column and horizontal reinforced band, are provided to improve the seismic performance of AAC bearing walls. Compared with the common wall, the cracking and the ultimate load, and the ductility of the specimens with constructional column and/or horizontal reinforced band are increased to a certain extent.Secondly, FEA method is used to conduct an analytical study on the seismic behavior of AAC bearing walls. An appropriate finite element analysis model was established to simulate the above mentioned experiments of AAC bearing walls with different loading condition, different type and different constructional detailing. The analysis results coincide well with the test data, which verifies the finite element model and the model can be used to expand simulation tests.Lastly, based on experimental and theoretical study, a simplified analytical model and computing method is provided. The computing method concerned may be tentatively used in calculating the seismic shear strength of AAC bearing walls.