Masonry Design for RFEM 6

Masonry Design Using FE Method

Design

Masonry Design in RFEM 6

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Design

Stone on stone and mortar in between – this is how we have been building for thousands of years. Are you continuing this proven tradition with your project? Then take a look at the Masonry Design add-on for RFEM. It allows you to design masonry using the finite element method. As part of the research project "DDMaS – Digitizing the Design of Masonry Structures", the material model represents the nonlinear behavior of the brick-mortar combination in the form of macro-modeling. Thus, you can display complex masonry structures and perform the static and dynamic analysis.

Features

Automatic determination of material values according to Eurocode 6 (ÖN EN 1996‑X)
Design of masonry disc structures for compression and shear on the building model or single model
Automatic determination of stiffness of a wall-slab hinge
An extensive material database for almost all stone-mortar combinations available on the Austrian market (the product range is continuously being expanded, for other countries as well)
Automatic determination of material values according to Eurocode 6
Option to create pushover analysis

Material Model

Did you know? To calculate masonry structures, a nonlinear material model has been implemented in RFEM. It is based on the approach of Lourenco, a composite yield surface according to Rankine and Hill. This model allows you to describe and model the structural behavior of masonry and the different failure mechanisms.

The limit parameters were selected in such a way that the design curves used correspond to a normative design curve.

Input

You enter and model the structure directly in RFEM. You can combine the masonry material model with all common RFEM add-ons. This enables you to design the entire building models in connection with masonry.

The program automatically determines for you all parameters required for the calculation by using the material data that you have entered. Then, it finally generates the stress-strain curves for each FE element.

Slab-Wall Connection

RFEM allows you to use a special line hinge to model the special properties of the connection between the reinforced concrete slab and masonry wall. This limits the transferable forces of the connection depending on the specified geometry. You guess right: This means that the material cannot be overloaded.

The program develops interaction diagrams that are applied automatically. They represent the various geometric situations and you can use them to determine the correct stiffness.

Calculation

The calculation of masonry is carried out in compliance with the nonlinear-plastic material law. If the load at any point is higher than the possible load to be resisted, redistribution takes place within the system. This have the simple purpose of restoring the equilibrium of forces. With the successful completion of the calculation, the stability analysis is provided.

Results

Was your design successful? Then just sit back and relax. You benefit from the numerous functions in RFEM also here. The program gives you the maximum stresses of the masonry surfaces, whereby you can display the results in detail at each FE mesh point.

Moreover, you can insert sections in order to carry out a detailed evaluation of the individual areas. Use the display of the yield areas to estimate the cracks in the masonry.