MasterKey Concrete Wall Design

MasterFrame Finite Element Analysis Add-on for RC Shear Walls to EC2

The Masterframe FEA Concrete Wall Design module (part of the MasterKey Concrete Slab and Wall Design suite) automates code-compliant design and detailing for reinforced concrete shear walls. Operating on finite element analysis results with codified concrete materials, it categorises wall geometry into two primary, independent design region types:

• Wall Piers: Vertical, uninterrupted wall sections subjected to axial load, major and minor axis bending, and horizontal shear. Piers are subdivided into sub-pier design strips (such as equal or fixed strip widths) to evaluate Ultimate Limit State force envelopes, slenderness, out-of-plane buckling, and required vertical and horizontal reinforcement.
• Coupler Beams: Horizontal bridging elements spanning between openings that experience axial compression, bending, and vertical shear. The module applies conventional beam flexural theory when span-to-depth ratios exceed 2, automatically transitioning to strut-and-tie modelling for deeper sections.

The module features auto-design capabilities, generates comprehensive calculation reports, and exports design-intent rebar layouts to DXF and DWG formats.

The Masterframe FEA concrete wall design module is part of the MasterKey slab and wall design module, which is an additional design module which adds to the analytic capabilities of the Masterframe and Masterframe FE modules to enable the design of concrete shear walls. The Wall Design module allows the user to set design regions for concrete shear walls, or part of walls, where the wall is modelled and analysed as an FE surface, and assign vertical wall pier zones or horizontal coupler beams zones, and then carry out the design based on the results of the FE analysis. The Concrete Wall design will identify the design critical forces within the various regions, using the results of the FE analysis, allowing the user to define the reinforcement required to resist these forces. The module also allows for an auto design to be carried out, providing tools to allow the user to control the reinforcement either through specifying allowable bar diameters and/or bar spacings.