An Experimental Study on Influence of Mullion-type Wall of Predominant Bending Failure in Reinforced Concrete Frame

Abstract: Mullion-type walls, which are not regarded as structural elements in general, joined to RC frames may raise horizontal load-carrying capacity of the structure. However there is some probability that the axial elongation of them after their yielding due to bending moment has a bad influence on a behavior of RC frames. In this paper, one eighth scale two story and three story specimens were made and tested. Those consist of 1 span RC frame and the mullion-type walls at every story. The conclusions are as follows. The mullion-type wall elongates axially in each story after it yields due to bending moment, and the beams connected with the walls at the upper story are forcibly and more conspicuously deformed by the elongation of the walls. Consequently the rotation angle of the upper beams is about one and a half times as large as the drift angle. Experimental horizontal load-carrying capacity corresponds to the value calculated as the elongation produces plastic hinge in beams. These verification indicates that the mullion-type wall joined to RC frame raises horizontal load-carrying capacity unless the elongation causes brittle failure of beams