A review of experimental and analytical studies on masonry infilled-frames subjected to lateral loads

This paper presents a review of the literature on masonry-infilled frame structures subjected to lateral loads. A database of 167 experimental studies on the parameters that influence the response of masonry infill are first discussed. It is shown that there are far too many geometrical and material parameters that affect the behaviour and that the experimental results are not consistent. Masonry infill is in general analysed using an equivalent strut modelling method, which is also briefly described. It is demonstrated that despite rigorous studies across many years, researchers have not been able to find a generic model. Finally, finite element concepts introduced by different researchers are discussed which confirm that further research is required to obtain realistic structural performance of masonry-infilled frames. A future research direction is also provided