Masonry construction comprises a large portion of building construction in the U.S. and the world. Reinforced masonry construction use is increasing in moderate to higher seismic zones because of its apparent features of economy, fire safety, architectural flexibility and ease of construction. The present state of masonry structural analysis and design and materials and construction technologies do not enable an accurate prediction of building behavior under lateral loads such as seismic loads. This research project will examine, using experimental methods, the seismic response of reinforced masonry walls under out-of-plane loading. The objective of the project is to provide experimental data about the hysteretic behavior of reinforced masonry walls to develop nonlinear analysis techniques for walls under seismic loading. The results will then be used to establish rational limit state design methodologies for reinforced masonry construction.
