Experimental study on out-of-plane behaviour of an infilled masonry wall with damping layer joint

•An out-of-plane (OOP) experiment is conducted on the damped infilled wall (DIW) which is an innovative configuration aimed at improving the seismic performance of infilled masonry wall (IMW) through the introduction of a damping layer joint (DLJ).•The effect of the material for constructing DLJ on OOP behavior, damage pattern and resisting mechanism is discussed.•The effect of number of the subdivided masonry units (MUs) of DIW is discussed.•Equivalent static methods given in the seismic codes of the main seismic countries or regions worldwide are adopted to assess the OOP capacity of DIW. A damped infilled wall (DIW) is an innovative configuration for improving the in-plane (IP) seismic performance of infilled masonry walls (IMWs) through the introduction of a damping layer joint (DLJ). The out-of-plane (OOP) behaviour of IMWs in an earthquake event plays an important role in their overall seismic performance. This study is aimed at the further investigation of the OOP behaviour and resistance mechanism of a DIW. The OOP behaviour and resistance mechanism of a DIW with a modified-asphalt-waterproof-based (MAW-based) DLJ and mortar-based DLJ are investigated. The results indicate that a DIW with a MAW-based DLJ resists the OOP force mainly via the bending of the masonry unit, while this occurs via the coupled arching action and bending of the masonry unit in the case of a DIW with a mortar-based DLJ. The deformation and damage pattern for the DIW with a MAW-based DLJ and mortar-based DLJ are characterised by the fracture lines of the one-way and two-way slabs, respectively. The OOP capacity of the DIW with a MAW-based DLJ is much lower than that of the DIW with a mortar-based DLJ; however, both of these exhibit ductile behaviour and possess the capacity to resist the maximum earthquake action of the main seismic countries or regions. The DIW is able to remain stable when the OOP displacement at the wall centre reaches 1.2 times the wall thickness.