Shake Table Test on Rammed Earth Wall Panels

摘要

Traditional Rammed earth houses, which possess people traditional cultures, are still widespread in rural areas of western China. However, the earth houses damage is usually serious due to its poor seismic resistance. A simple and low-cost method to reinforce the rammed earth wall is put forward in the paper. In order to test the reinforcement effectiveness, shake table testing for both the wall panels with and without structural reinforcements have been carried out. The performances of the wall panels during dynamic testing are presented and discussed briefly. The result of the test demonstrated the effectiveness of the reinforcement method on improving the seismic capacity of the rammed earth wall. The reinforcement can restrain the crack development and increase the structural integrity of the wall panels. The method can be applied to both existing and new building rammed earth houses.