Modeling and evaluating the wall parameters on the short column phenomenon in macro scale

The short column phenomenon is one of the major causes of severe structural damage during earthquakes. One of the most common factors leading to the formation of short column is the presence of infill walls that occupy only a portion of a frame’s height. This study investigates the effects of three key parameters on short-column behavior: the height of the infill wall, the stiffness of the infill wall, and the conditions of adjacent frames. Seventy-four models were analyzed using linear methods, while six models were examined through nonlinear analyses. The results indicate that, in comparison with fully infilled frames, the stiffness of the infill wall has no significant influence on the ultimate strength of the partially infilled frame. Furthermore, its effect on the displacement at which short column failure occurs is negligible. The initial stiffness and ultimate strength of models depend on the conditions of the adjacent frame; however, variations in adjacent-frame conditions do not significantly influence the displacement corresponding to short-column failure. The findings are obtained from the linear analyses of the models under the same displacement. It confirms that using linear analyses with little cost and time as an engineering art can provide a deep understanding of the failure of the short column.