Seismic Performance of Stone Masonry Structures Reinforced with RC Wallboard

Major seismic safety hazards exist in a large number of Pingtan stone houses, due to the impacts of non-standard construction methods and marine climate. In order to improve seismic performance of the damaged masonry walls in this area, 18 finite element models of masonry walls（based on reinforcement method of reinforced concrete wallboards） were established. The influences of concrete slab thickness, reinforcement ratio, concrete strength and vertical pressure on the ultimate bearing capacity, stiffness degradation and displacement ductility of masonry walls are analyzed. The results show that the seismic performance of stone masonry wall can be effectively improved by reinforced concrete wallboards. The bearing capacity of members can be improved by increasing the concrete thickness within a certain range, but its ductility will be reduced by excessive thickness. The ductility of members can be effectively improved by properly increasing the reinforcement ratio. High-strength concrete is not recommended in design because the ultimate bearing capacity of the members decrease slightly and the brittleness becomes more obvious with the increase of concrete strength. Lastly, for stone masonry walls with higher vertical pressure, the bearing capacity of reinforced concrete slabs will increase more significantly, but its ductility will be reduced.