Orod. Zarrin¹, Yuri Z. Totoev¹, and Mark J. Masia¹
1) Centre for Infrastructure Performance and Reliability
The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308 (Australia)
E-mail: {orod.zarrin, yuri.totoev, mark.masia}@newcastle.edu.au

Keywords: SIM, Slip Joints, Horizontal Arching, Vertical Arching, Out-Of-Plane.

Abstract. The Semi-Interlocking Masonry (SIM) system has developed in Masonry Research Group at the University of Newcastle, Australia. The main purpose of this system is to enhance the seismic resistance of framed structures with masonry panels. In this system, SIM panels dissipate energy through the sliding friction on lip joints between rows of SIM units during earthquake excitation. A number of testing programs have been carried out to evaluate the in-plane capacity of different framed SIM panels. However, the out-of-plane behaviour of SIM has received less attention. The main objective of this study is to investigate the thrust force induced in SIM during its out-of-plane deflection. The relationship between the thrust force and the out-of-plane deflection was investigated experimentally for horizontal and vertical arching. Three types of bricks were used in tests: topological SIM, mechanical SIM, and traditional bricks without any interlocking. The dimensions of all units were 220 × 110 × 76 mm (length, width, and height). The lateral load was applied by hydraulic jack, the displacement and the thrust force were recorded by Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVTD) and Load Cell respectively. This paper presents results of eighteen arching tests: six tests with topological interlocking, six tests with mechanically interlocking units, and six tests with ordinary bricks.