In-plane cyclic performance and analytical assessment of conventional mortar masonry, dry-stacked ICEB, and EMM-reinforced ICEB infill walls

The seismic performance of masonry infill in reinforced concrete (RC) frames is critical for resilience in earthquake-prone regions. Although economical, unreinforced infills often fail in a brittle manner, showing signs of diagonal cracking or out-of-plane collapse. An innovative and cost-effective way to reinforce interlocking compacted earth block (ICEB) infill walls is explored in this study using expanded metal mesh (EMM). A mortar-bonded conventional infill wall, an ICEB wall that is dry-stacked, and an ICEB wall that is reinforced with EMM are the three full-scale specimens that are studied under quasi-static cyclic loading. The EMM-reinforced ICEB wall exhibited 1.56 times, 2.1 times, and 1.51 times the lateral strength, ductility, and cumulative energy dissipation of the dry-stacked ICEB wall, respectively, and 1.31 times, 2.38 times, and 1.23 times those of the mortar-bonded conventional infill wall. A strut-based analytical model is developed and calibrated using nonlinear masonry prism data to accurately predict lateral shear capacity. Its close agreement with experimental trends confirms its reliability for seismic assessment of EMM-reinforced ICEB-infilled RC frames.