Modelling Load bearing brick walls over steel beams. 1

[jhaws]

Does anyone know how to correctly model a brick wall as to have no in plane flexural stiffness? In my model I am finding the wall itself is taking the load applied to to the top of it and transferring it to the nodes to the right and left of the wall (essentially acting as a deep concrete beam). I would like to model the wall so that it simply transfers all loads applied to it (and its self weight) as a UDL onto the beam below it (without any beam like characteristics of the wall itself).

Thanks

 

[daymanfighter]

Are you trying to investigate anything from having the wall modeled at all? If not, simply calculate the line load of the wall based off of its unit weight, width and height, and apply it to the steel beam. That would be quick and dirty, and also give you a conservative result. If you want a more realistic loading scenario, refer to ACI 530. I think they allow for load bearing masonry walls to be assumed to have a downward conical load at a 45 degree angle.

 

[jhaws]

Thanks Daymanfighter.

Actually I have further slabs above the wall in question. So slab on wall, wall on beam. What property modifiers would model this wall so with so that it transfers the slab load through it but doesn't act as a beam. Do you follow me?