Impact of vertical and horizontal sliding joints on the behavior of RC infilled frames after column failure

• Sliding joints increase the ductility by 900%–1230%. • Mortarless sliding joints decrease the resistance of the infilled frames. • The orientation of the sliding joints greatly influences the failure mode. • More sliding joints improve energy absorption and frame ductility. • Joint number and orientation significantly impact infill-frame interaction. The present paper investigates the global and local behaviour of reinforced concrete (RC) frames under column failure scenarios. The research aims to serve as proof of concept by investigating the impact of vertical and horizontal sliding joints within infill masonry walls through a detailed experimental study. This topic has not been previously explored in the context of progressive collapse. The experimental study includes nine RC frame specimens with different configurations of infill walls made of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) to examine the effect of the number of sliding joints and their orientation on the behaviour followed by a column failure. The results show that the number of sliding joints and their orientation significantly affect the behaviour of the infilled frames and their failure mode. Moreover, it shows that implementing sliding joints may prevent an early frame failure because of its interaction with infill walls. Thus, they significantly increase the ductility of the composite system. These findings show that sliding joint application has a promising potential to increase the structure’s robustness in column failure scenarios.