Cyclic quasi-static testing of full-scale C-shaped URM walls made of calcium-silicate bricks and blocks (EUC-Flanges)

A series of cyclic quasi-static tests were performed on full-scale URM wall specimens to assess the effects of perpendicular walls, often called 'flanges', on the seismic behaviour of primary seismic-resistant walls. The tests involved four full-scale specimens, representing C-shaped load-bearing walls consisting of two primary walls interconnected by a single flange. The construction of the specimens varied: two of them were built using standard solid calcium-silicate bricks with general-purpose mortar, while the other two were built employing large-sized calcium-silicate blocks connected through tongue-and-groove interlocks and a thin cement-based paste. All four specimens were subjected to cyclic lateral loading in displacement control under consistent overburden load and double-fixed boundary conditions. The main difference in testing the two walls of each type was the number of cyclic loading repetitions.
The cyclic quasi-static tests were conducted in 2019 at the SHAKELAB testing facilities of the EUCENTRE in Pavia, Italy. They were part of the EUCENTRE Foundation project 'Study of the vulnerability of masonry buildings in Groningen', within the research framework programme on hazard and risk of induced seismicity in the Groningen province, sponsored by the Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij BV (NAM). The project was carried out in collaboration with the research group of Masonry Structures from the University of Pavia in Italy.