APPROACHES OF INFILL WALL MODELING IN FRAME SYSTEMS

Abstract

It is known that infill walls considerably alter the behavior of frames under lateral loads. However, the effects of infill wall materials on building strength are mostly neglected. Structural fractures are initiated first in key structural members including infill walls. Therefore, behaviors of infilled frame systems should be analyzed and well-comprehended. In this study, two-story tree-span frame systems with/without infill walls and with/without curtains were modeled with the aid of equivalent diagonal compression strut and finite element methods. Present findings revealed that infill walls had significant effects on building rigidity, period, lateral displacements, shear forces and behaviors