RBSM approach for the quasi-static analysis of infill panels under later loads: An application

The interaction between non-structural infill panels and RC frames is usually accounted by means of specific modeling approaches aimed at describing the contribution of infill walls to the global seismic analysis. The most popular choice is the use of equivalent struts [1], whereas in this paper the authors are following an approach oriented at the detailed evaluation of the interaction by a meso-scale modeling of the panel. The main drawback, of course, is the computational effort that would be required for analyzing a whole building. In this perspective, the authors based their research on the use of Rigid Body and Spring Models [2], which are capable to simulate damage mechanisms of masonry and their evolution in the non-linear field with a very efficient computational management. A reference experimental laboratory campaign performed on infilled frames under lateral loads has been chosen as a benchmark, and it has been modelled by a following a RBSM approach [3] implemented within Abaqus framework. A set of analyses and comparisons have been performed, showing a good matching of results and effective computational performance.