| An experimental program was designed and conducted to study the strength and behavior of masonry load-bearing walls. Ten reinforced large-scale wall specimens with pinned support conditions were tested under eccentric compressive loading. The load eccentricities at two ends of the specimen were applied in a manner which resulted in various specimen bending patterns. Four of these specimens were tested under symmetrical single curvature loading, three of them were tested under asymmetrical single curvature bending, and the remaining three were tested under reverse curvature bending. Wall specimens were 2390 mm high by 790 mm long by 140 mm thick, which resulted in a slenderness ratio of 17.1. Ultimate load and corresponding applied moment, and lateral deflections at critical cross-sections were obtained and presented in either table or graph format. Moment vs. curvature curves were established and used to determine effective flexural rigidities, EIeff, at the time of failure of walls under various loading conditions. Results of large-scale tests showed that for a constant end eccentricity ratio, e1/e 2, the ultimate load and the associated EIeff decreased as the end eccentricity ratio, e/t , increased. The ultimate load and the EIeff values increase as the end eccentricity ratio, e1/e 2, varied from 1.0 to 0.0 and to -1.0. This increase in the strength and flexural rigidity was attributed to a change of the failure mode from tension-controlled failure to compression-controlled failure associated with the change of e1/e2. A comparison study revealed that similar effects of e/t and e 1/e2 on the capacity and EIeff of the walls was noted in other relevant research. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
