Modelling Brick Walls Between Slabs

[odysseusky]

I need some input from you guys on how to model brick walls between concrete slabs. I've attached a simple model if anyone would like to have a look.

basically i don't need to analyze and design the brick wall, i just need them to behave in such a way that
1. it has no flexural strength (i'm ignoring whatever little flexural strength the brick wall might have)
2. it transfers loads from above floors to line loads on the floor it is on

so what i did is that i set the stiffness modifiers for F11 and F12 to 0.00001, and the results are very close that of the equivalent line loads.

Is such an approach appropriate in actual design process? am i missing anything?

Thank you in advance.

 

[asixth]

I wouldn't rely on the brick wall to be a vertical bearing element if it doesn't have a the minimal robustness required for lateral loads.

 

[odysseusky]

they are mostly just 2 story houses, sometimes 3 story apartment building, rarely 4 or 5. I'm based in Sydney, Australia, so there's no earthquake, no strong wind, basically we don't even consider lateral loading.

so lateral loading aside, is modifying the stiffness F11 and F12 a good modeling of the vertical behavior of the brick walls?

 

[jhaws]

Hi Odysseusky did you find out a good way to model the load bearing brick wall on the concrete slab? My situation is very similar but I have a beam and slab under my brick wall and a slab on top. I only want the load to transfer through the wall without flexural strength.

 

[engrjunaid]

i have also the same problem bro....
when i assign the actual wall size in my model by defining brick masonary material as available in ETABS 2013 then the reinforcement i get after running analysis and design comes toomuch less than the mini reinforcement criteria in beams and columns .... so what i have to do in the case of walls in my model........
thnx in advance