Effects of vertical load and retrofitting on the behaviour of newly proposed fused infill panels

A new type of infilled frame has been recently proposed. it has a frictional sliding fuse, horizontally installed at the mid-height of the infill. it has already shown that such infilled frames have higher ductility, strength and damping ratio as well as more enhanced hysteresis cycles, compared with regular infilled frames. this experimental paper is focused on the influence of gravitational load on the behaviour of the fused infill panel. furthermore, a repairing method in which damaged specimens are repaired by grout plasters is also studied. the results show that the gravitational load, applied to the surrounding frame of the infill for the dead or live loads, raises the ultimate strength of the fused infill specimens. it is also shown that repairing the failed specimen by grout was so efficient that the repaired specimen had greater strength than the original one. however, top gap, between the infill and the top beam of the enclosing frame should be absolutely avoided, because it decays the ultimate strength.