Failure of reinforced concrete infilled frames under extreme loads

Structural systems that consist of Reinforced Concrete (RC) infilled frames are commonly used for residential and public buildings all over the world. Under extreme loading events, such as a strong earthquake, gas explosion or car collision, the RC infilled frame undergoes significant deformation. When the frame develops large deformation, it starts to interact with the infill wall. Consequently, the shear and the flexural demands on the frame elements increase. If the RC frame is not designed for such interaction with the infill wall, these interfacial stresses may cause the failure of the RC frame. A failure of the frame may lead to a disproportional collapse of the entire structure and cause many casualties. Therefore, it is important to develop a reliable tool that allows examining the resistance of infilled frames subjected to significant deformations. The paper presents a parametric study that related to the mechanical and geometrical properties of the infilled frame using a multi-scale approach for the modelling of RC infilled frames subjected to lateral loads.