Experiment of slender confined masonry panels under monotonic and cyclic loading

Confined masonry (CM) consists of masonry panels surrounded by cast-in-place RC boundary frames that provide confinement to the panels. When a CM panel is perforated for the needs of opening, the confining effect becomes questionable. This research is aimed at the slender CM panel segments between openings and tie columns. A series of test was carried out to study the failing behavior of this type of panels under in-plane loading. The main variables are the position of tie columns, the number of panels, and the loading pattern. Three specimens were tested under monotonic loading, including two single wing-walls with a tie column placed at the tensile and compressive side respectively and one twin wing-wall with the tie column place at the middle. Another single wing-wall and twin wing-wall specimens were tested under cyclic loading for comparison. The test result indicated that the failing behavior of the specimens was considerably affected by the position of tie column but not by the loading pattern.