Seismic resistance of brick masonry walls

The authors have made a worthy contribution in this paper i) by providing the cyclic load-deflection relationships for both RBM construction and the larger size of hollow-cell brick masonry, ii) by clarifying the common misconception regarding the relative effectiveness of horizontal and vertical steel in resisting shear (qualified below for inelastic cyclic conditions) and demonstrating that high average shear stresses can be sustained by adequately reinforced brick cantilever walls, and iii) in showing that effective confinement to the crushing toe zone of a masonry panel is indeed not only possible but also a viable proposition.However, several statements warrant comment.