Currently, publications like FEMA-273 and ATC-40 contain provisions for the calculation of
stiffness of solid infilled frames mainly by modeling infill as a “diagonal strut.” However, such
provisions are not provided for infilled frames with openings. The present study proposes a
reduction factor for effective width of diagonal strut over that of the solid reinforced concrete
(RC) infilled frame to calculate its initial lateral stiffness when a central window opening is …