Design of Masonry Walls subjected to concentrated loads

Advance Design Masonry Wall 2023 allows you to model, load and calculate a wall within its standalone environment. You can perform many design checks as specified in EN 1996-1-1 and EN 1996-3. Usually, we design masonry walls subjected to mostly vertical loadings, but we need to also check bending and out/in-plane shearing. Another check that might be necessary is capacity under concentrated loads – for example coming from beam supported on the top edge of wall.

Definition of concentrated loads in standalone Masonry Wall module

Fig. 1. Loads definition in standalone module

Advance Design Masonry Wall module allows you to define all necessary loads – vertical linear loads on top edge of wall (as coming from the storeys above), planar loads on adjacent slabs (not only used to calculate walls total vertical loads but also to assume bending moments), perpendicular planar loads (which will be used to calculate out of plane bending and shearing). However, you can also specify concentrated loadings – both vertical and horizontal. Please note that you can provide as many concentrated loads as needed, in different load cases, on different abscissas and with different load area width/depth.

Design of walls subjected to concentrated loads according to Eurocode 6

Eurocode specifies both general and simplified rules if it comes to design under concentrated loads. General, more complex approach can be found in EN 1996-1-1, chapter 6.1.3

We need to prove that total concentrated load is no greater than wall resistance NRdc:

Wall capacity is based on compression strength of a wall section, as in other vertical capacities verifications. However, way of applying given concentrated load has a great influence here.

First, we have Ab which is load area

Fig. 2. Loaded area as in EN 1996-1-1

Simply it’s area on which concentrated load can transfer to wall. In our example of beam supported on the walls edge it’s beam section width and supported length. As this area increase, we can expect lesser work ratio.

Another thing is load placement. We need to consider the distance of the load from walls or pier edge, but also the level of the load.

Fig. 3. Concentrated loads on wall

These parameters will affect Beta coefficients, resulting in different concentrated load capacity.

That’s why in Advance Design Masonry Wall module you can specify not only the load value, but exact position and geometry of the load.

Fig. 4. Advance Design Masonry wall module relation to EC6

Design results in Advance Design Masonry Wall module

In every Advance Design module as soon as you hit Calculate you receive a quick info-panel with most important design results.

If it comes to concentrated loads, all provided by user are verified. Results panel presents the one with highest effort.

Fig. 5. Quick results panel

All concentrated loads provided on certain abscissas are summed up with decisive load combination.

But what is also important, concentrated loads defined in load dialog are not only used in considered verification. As this load is vertical, it will be included also in other checks, such as vertical loads bearing.

Remember that detailed formulas can be printed in a calculation report.

Fig. 6. Masonry wall design report customization

Fig. 7. Exemplary print-out for concentrated loads check

Written by Kamil DZIEDZIC – Software Technical Specialist