Experimental Study on Seismic Performance of Rammed Earth and Rubble Masonry Walls

Rammed earth and rubble masonry walls are constructed using raw stones as aggregate and native soil as binding material. To investigate the impact of different configurations on the seismic performance of rammed earth and rubble masonry wall, four wall specimens were subjected to quasi-static testing. Through comparative analysis of hysteresis curves, skeleton curves, stiffness degradation curves, and energy dissipation capacity, the failure modes and seismic performance of the walls were elucidated. Research indicates that under horizontal low-cycle cyclic loading, rammed earth and rubble masonry walls undergo three stages of failure: microcrack initiation and propagation, macrocrack formation and local failure, and ultimate collapse. The arched counter-arch joint wall exhibits the highest energy dissipation capacity and maximum shear bearing capacity, demonstrating an 18.7% improvement over the standard wall. Timber reinforcement walls exhibited lower energy dissipation capacity than curved joint walls but higher than standard walls, with shear bearing capacity being 1.3% greater than standard walls. The opening wall demonstrated the poorest energy dissipation capacity, with shear bearing capacity being 35% lower than standard walls and having the weakest seismic performance. These findings provide theoretical support for optimizing the seismic design of traditional rammed earth and rubble masonry dwellings.