Cyclic behaviour of typical residential housing in Indonesia comprising reinforced concrete frames with different masonry infill material types

Following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia, the Indonesian government undertook large-scale housing reconstruction projects in collaboration with various international Non-Government Organizations (NGOs). Reinforced concrete (RC) frames with clay brick masonry infill were widely adopted due to the availability of materials, ease of construction, affordability, and cultural acceptance. However, locally manufactured clay bricks often exhibit inconsistent material properties because of inadequate quality control. To address this issue, ferro-foam concrete panels were developed as an alternative infill material. This study investigates the suitability of ferro-foam concrete panels as an infill wall system in terms of lateral strength, hysteretic behaviour, energy dissipation, and strength deterioration. Three full-scale specimens were tested: a bare RC frame, an RC frame infilled with clay brick masonry, and an RC frame infilled with ferro-foam concrete panels. The experimental results showed that both infilled frames exhibited greater energy dissipation, higher displacement capacity, and more significant stiffness degradation than the bare RC frame. The RC frame with clay brick masonry achieved 12.3 times higher lateral strength than the bare RC frame, while the RC frame with ferro-foam concrete panels exhibited 9.2 times greater lateral strength. The ductility of the masonry-infilled frame was 1.7 times that of the bare frame, whereas the ferro-foam concrete panel-infilled frame achieved a sixfold increase in ductility. Compared with the masonry-infilled frame, the ferro-foam concrete panel-infilled frame demonstrated greater energy dissipation, higher displacement capacity, and lower stiffness degradation. These findings indicate that ferro-foam concrete panels are a viable alternative to conventional brick masonry infill, particularly for housing construction in developing countries.