Experimental study on seismic failure modes of confined masonry structures with different enhancements

In this study, confined masonry specimens with regular arranged openings are tested in order to study the influence of different enhancements of the columns on seismic failure modes. In particular, five brick masonry walls and three half-scale two-storey masonry structures are tested under quasi-static loads. The experimental results show that increasing column ratio improves the seismic behavior of the wall specimens to some extent, but an excessive reinforcement ratio of the columns decreases the ductility. The global failure mode of the two-storey masonry structures is modified by inserting iron wires in the mortar bed joints, improving the structural collapse resistant capacity effectively.