T Mahdi - Assistance professor, Building and Housing Research Centre, Tehran
M Khorramiazar - Expert, Building and Housing Research Centre, Tehran, Iran

Masonry infilled reinforced concrete frames are among the most widely used types of buildings in Iran. In the past, masonry infill walls have often been treated as nonstructural elements in buildings, and their effects are not included in the analysis and design procedure. Furthermore, the interaction between infill and frame is usually ignored in the design procedure. Past experience has shown that infill walls have significant positive or negative effects on the global behavior of buildings and, therefore, should be addressed appropriately. This paper reviews and compares analysis and design provisions of this system in various seismic design codes and identifies the most important issues that are related to it. Stiffness, strength, natural period, response reduction factor, irregularities, and effect of openings are among the items discussed in this paper.

infill, concrete frame, seismic design, design codes, masonry