Experimental Study on the Seismic Performance of Recycled Concrete Brick Walls Embedded with Vertical Reinforcement

Wanlin Cao; Yongbo Zhang; Hongying Dong; Zhongyi Zhou; Qiyun Qiao

doi:10.3390/ma7085934

Experimental Study on the Seismic Performance of Recycled Concrete Brick Walls Embedded with Vertical Reinforcement

Materials (Basel). 2014 Aug 19;7(8):5934-5958. doi: 10.3390/ma7085934.

Authors

Wanlin Cao¹, Yongbo Zhang², Hongying Dong³, Zhongyi Zhou⁴, Qiyun Qiao⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China. wlcao@bjut.edu.cn.
² College of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China. zhangyongbo@emails.bjut.edu.cn.
³ College of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China. donghy@bjut.edu.cn.
⁴ College of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China. zhouzy@bjut.edu.cn.
⁵ College of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China. qiaoqiyun@bjut.edu.cn.

Abstract

Recycled concrete brick (RCB) is manufactured by recycled aggregate processed from discarded concrete blocks arising from the demolishing of existing buildings. This paper presents research on the seismic performance of RCB masonry walls to assess the applicability of RCB for use in rural low-rise constructions. The seismic performance of a masonry wall is closely related to the vertical load applied to the wall. Thus, the compressive performance of RCB masonry was investigated firstly by constructing and testing eighteen RCB masonry compressive specimens with different mortar strengths. The load-bearing capacity, deformation and failure characteristic were analyzed, as well. Then, a quasi-static test was carried out to study the seismic behavior of RCB walls by eight RCB masonry walls subjected to an axial compressive load and a reversed cyclic lateral load. Based on the test results, equations for predicting the compressive strength of RCB masonry and the lateral ultimate strength of an RCB masonry wall were proposed. Experimental values were found to be in good agreement with the predicted values. Meanwhile, finite element analysis (FEA) and parametric analysis of the RCB walls were carried out using ABAQUS software. The elastic-plastic deformation characteristics and the lateral load-displacement relations were studied.

Keywords: compressive performance; experimental study; numerical simulation; recycled concrete brick (RCB); seismic performance.