Expeditious methodology for the estimation of infill masonry wall stiffness through in-situ dynamic tests

In this paper a procedure to experimentally estimate the stiffness of masonry internal partitions and infill walls is proposed with the aim of providing a practical tool to reduce uncertainties in the finite element modelling of frame buildings when partitions and infills must be included. The proposed methodology, based on in-situ impact load tests and numerical modelling, is presented. The methodology is validated through an experimental campaign on a laboratory mock-up and applied to a real reinforced concrete frame building. The proposed methodology revealed capable to provide a very accurate estimate of the infill stiffness to be adopted in the building modelling.