Effect of diagonal strut width on behaviour of a building subjected to linear static earthquake load

Unreinforced Masonry Infills are adopted in general constructional practices, without the proper knowledge of how important structural inference they bear in successfully carrying their intended load throughout the life span, especially lateral load. The seismic designs of such structures usually prohibit the consideration of Infill stiffness. Yet the data obtained from recent earthquakes have posed a question if Infills really remain neutral and serve only atheistic purposes. Several attempts have been made in this regard to analyze the action of Infills on the behavior of the structure. The most significant conclusion that has been drawn is that Infill walls have a Diagonal Strut action in the frames. Therefore, the width of the diagonal strut assumed for the analysis is of high connotation. Three different diagonal widths are assumed in the present paper and the results are analyzed and compared.