📺Enhanced Masonry Design using MasterSeries 2020 [WEBINAR RECORDING]
Posted on October 14th, 2020 in Webinars
Summary
This video demonstrates MasterSeries Masonry Design software, a standalone program for analyzing and designing masonry walls according to Eurocode standards. The software features a user-friendly interface that allows engineers to model complex wall configurations, including those with multiple openings, point loads, and varying support conditions. It utilizes a finite element and yield-line analysis to assess wall performance, offering options to optimize designs through adjustments like changing block strength, adding wind posts, incorporating bed reinforcement, or modifying wall thickness. The presentation highlights the software's ability to handle various loading scenarios, intricate details like bearing pads and partial fixities, and different types of wall structures, such as freestanding walls, all while emphasizing efficiency and code compliance.
Key concepts
- Masonry Wall Design
- Structural analysis
- Reinforcement
- Load consideration
- Software Features
Description
The MasterSeries masonry design software is a standalone program designed for the analysis and design of masonry walls, particularly those with openings, to Eurocode EN 1996 Part 1: 2005. It offers a new interface for enhanced flexibility and ease of use.
Key capabilities and features of the software include:
• Analysis Methods The software performs finite element analysis and yield line analysis to assess the structural behavior of walls under various loading conditions. The analysis can be set to different densities (medium, fine, super fine), impacting computation time and the detail of the yield line patterns.
• Wall Setup Users can define wall dimensions (e.g., 5m x 3.25m), material types (e.g., 100mm inner blockwork, 102mm outer clay brick), and specify edge fixities as fixed, pinned, free, or partially fixed. The software considers the material properties, including unit strength, water absorption, and allows overriding default values for lateral and axial strength.
• Loading Types The program can handle:
â—¦ Out-of-plane loads like wind pressure (uniform or triangular).
â—¦ Vertical loads including dead and live loads from floors, which can pre-compress and strengthen the wall.
â—¦ Point loads from beams, with options to design bearing pads using concrete or engineering bricks.
â—¦ Line loads for racking or lateral forces along a wall. The software automatically factors working loads (dead and live) and can determine the worst combination of loads by considering leading and accompanying load factors.
• Reinforcement and Stiffening Options To address wall failures or enhance capacity, the software offers several solutions:
â—¦ Increased Wall Thickness A straightforward method, though it may consume valuable space.
â—¦ Wind Posts These are steel sections (e.g., square hollow sections) inserted into the wall to act as stiffeners, improving the overall moment capacity. The software accounts for the wind post's contribution to the wall's strength without requiring separate design checks for the post itself.
â—¦ Stiffened Walls with Piers Adding masonry piers can significantly strengthen a wall, providing an alternative to wind posts.
â—¦ Bed Reinforcement Embedding reinforcement (e.g., Bekaert Mere four compact) between brick courses enhances the wall's lateral strength and is particularly effective for walls with openings.
• Openings The software excels in handling walls with multiple openings, which are difficult to design using simplified methods. Users can define opening dimensions, locations, and how they span (two-way, vertical, horizontal, or bottom free).
• Yield Line Patterns The analysis visually presents yield line patterns on the wall, indicating areas of plastic movement. Different colors distinguish sagging and hogging moments, and line thickness reflects the degree of rotation or plasticity.
• Freestanding Walls The program can design freestanding walls, determining the necessary thickness or stiffening elements (like piers) to resist lateral loads such as wind.
• Hollow Blocks The software supports the design of hollow block walls, addressing considerations for their reduced strength under Eurocode, and allows users to adjust density values.
The MasterSeries masonry design module is available as a full version or a simplified version bundled with PowerPad, which has limitations on the number of openings and the inclusion of wind posts or bed reinforcement. The tool is intended to make the design of complex masonry walls faster and more reliable, especially for scenarios beyond the scope of simple code tables.