Investigation of flexible joint connection types between infillwalls and reinforced concrete frames

Non-structural infill walls are widely used in frame systems for different reasons. Infill walls formed especially between vertical and horizontal structural elements contribute to the lateral load bearing capacity, lateral stiffness, and energy absorption capacity of the building. However, infill walls, which are not included in the calculations during the design phase, may cause significant problems such as short columns, torsion, soft floor or weak floor in structures exposed to horizontal loads. The fact that the infill walls do not have a homogeneous and isotropic structure makes it difficult to create a simple declaration that can express the infill wall behavior and makes it difficult to include in the calculations during the analysis phase. This situation increases the importance of innovative solutions for the practical phase. Turkey Earthquake Building Code which came into force in 2018, flexible joint connection detail is proposed to prevent damage to the infill walls. It has been stated that this connection detailed frame will be formed by filling flexible material between the infill wall and the structural elements. In the code, different displacement limitations have been introduced for flexible joint and jointless applications. Moreover, there is a requirement to prove the details with experiments in the use of the systems. In this study, it is aimed to investigate analytically innovative solutions that can prevent the negative effects caused by infill walls. For this purpose, firstly, the models prepared in ABAQUS finite element software were verified by using the backbone curves of the hollow frame produced by Erdem without infill wall, the solid frame traditionally produced with infill wall and the frame to which the connection detail suggested by the current earthquake regulation was applied. Then, in addition to these models, two innovative flexible connection detail with frame were analyzed analytically. Advantages and disadvantages of flexible joint connection are presented with the findings.