Evaluation of the moment-curvature relations of the reinforced masonry cores subjected to vertical and lateral loading

In load bearing concrete masonry construction some selected cores are grouted and reinforced with single longitudinal steel bars placed at the centre of the core. These cores are designed as a flexural member spanning in the vertical direction. In addition to flexure the cores are subjected to axial compression and lateral shear. No appropriate approach is yet reported in the literature that would enable the prediction of the failure and deformation of the reinforced cores of the concrete masonry construction. This paper reports a method based on the fundamental layer approach to predict the moment-curvature relations of the reinforced cores.