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Loadbearing
Masonry
Software:
– By Jay Desai, PE, SE, SECB, CBIE & Marc Steinhobel, PE, SECB
Leap Forward in Technology
RAM Advanse Masonry Module is a leap
forward in technology. It gives engineers
the ability to model the entire building
taking into account the effects of both
global and local forces on each wall segment.
It saves the engineer time from having
to generate separate analytical models that
only determine member forces and separate
design calculations using results from the
analytical model or other hand calculations.
As with RAM Structural System, RAM
Advanse Masonry Module reduces the
time spent by engineers crunch-
ing numbers. It allows engineers
the flexibility to model, analyze and
evaluate various options quickly and
effectively. Alternative framing options,
wall locations, shear wall layout, pier
size and requirements are quickly and
accurately analyzed and their effect on the
entire structure considered.
Does the masonry
module reduce the We estimate the time savings
time required to in the range of 40% to 50%
design a multi-level
loadbearing for analysis and design
masonry building?
Yes. How much? We estimate the time
savings in the range of 40% to 50% for
analysis and design. More importantly, it
provides a tool
engineers can use to optimize their design,
resulting in a better, more economical
design thereby reducing construction
costs, allowing masonry to compete on a
level playing field against other structural
34 the storypole|2009 MASONRY DESIGN & ENGINEERING
loadbearing wall systems.
Putting It To the Test
The new 77,500 sf residence hall at
Michigan Technological University is in
the design phase. Located in Houghton,
Michigan Tech was established in 1885
as a mining college with only 23 students.
Now, the school has expanded with more
than 400 faculty and more than 6500
students. The community of Houghton
has expanded along with the University’s
needs and the need for new student
housing. The new student housing build-
ing is a six-story concrete masonry
loadbearing structure with precast plank
floors. The building has repetitive punch-
out windows between larger bay windows
along the exterior. Along the interior,
corridor walls are loadbearing CMU,
designed to resist both gravity and
lateral loads. Several partition walls,
perpendicular to the corridor walls, are
used as shear walls
to resist lateral
wind and seismic
forces. Special
consideration
was taken for
snow loading due
to the University’s location in Michigan’s
Upper Peninsula where ground snow
loads are 100 psf.
The RAM System
Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers used
Bentley’s RAM Structural System V8i
(release 13.03) and RAM Advanse V8i
(release 9.6) published in December
Putting It
To the Test
2008 to model and analyze the loadbear-
ing masonry structure. RAM Advanse
V8.0 was released in June 2006 and intro-
duced its first masonry design capabilities.
V9.5, released in August 2008 introduced
hybrid masonry design capabilities. Editor’s
Note: RAM Elements V8i (release 10) was
published in July 2009 and introduces the
product’s name change, as well as enhance-
ments to the masonry capabilities. RAM
Structural System V8i Modeling Module
was used to quickly and effectively build
the structural frame including all structur-
al members. Wall openings were modeled
to include the effect these openings had on
the global stiffness of the structure.
Gravity surface, line and point loads as
well as seismic masses were input into
the RAM Modeler Module. RAM Frame
Module was used to input the parameters
for the lateral wind and seismic loads for
the main lateral load resisting system.
Frame generated the required lateral
loads as point loads imposed on the rigid
floor diaphragms.
Since RAM Structural System does not
Figure 1 RAM Structural System Model
have the capability to design masonry
walls, in order to complete the design, the
model was exported to RAM Advanse
for further analysis. Loads input in RAM
Structural System are converted to nodal
point loads on shell elements and point
and line loads on beam elements when
imported into RAM Advanse. After the
full gravity and lateral model was im-
ported, some adjustments were required to
change the material properties and mem-
ber sizes to conform to the different nam-
ing convention used by RAM Advanse.
Gravity column end releases were adjusted
and corrected to conform to the pure finite
element structure of the masonry module.
Figure 2 Imported Model in RAM Advanse
Finite Element Analysis
RAM Advanse is a full blown finite
element analysis program that completes
full iterative convergence of the model
during the P-Delta analysis. Careful model
consideration was given to limit the size
of the stiffness matrix and number of
load cases considered to reduce analysis
time. Finite element analysis programs
generally provide results that are a good
representation of the forces, stresses
and displacements based on the input
parameters. A good understanding of finite
element analysis, program assumptions
and limitations is essential to ensure good
results. For example, in this masonry
module, nodes between wall panels
(located at end of wall panels modeled in
RAM Modeler) are considered attached
to each panel, effectively making the panels
continuous across joints. If interior
non-loadbearing walls are rigidly attached
to the loadbearing exterior walls, then
the results generated may not reflect the
design engineer’s intent and assump-
tions when it comes to the foundations.
To effectively isolate walls at these
locations, or at any control joints
desired, the walls are stopped short
at intersection points and dummy
beam members are added to pro-
vide continuous support for floor
elements.
Figure 5 Panel Selection for Design
nodes at the corners of the wall panels.
The size of wall panels and location of
wall joints in RAM Structural System
directly impact the loading of the shell
elements and accuracy of the results.
Results were improved by limiting
openings to one per panel, by splitting
the walls between window openings and
maintaining a vertical to horizontal aspect
Figure 3 Dummy Beam Members ratio of not more than 1:1.5. Limiting the
aspect ratio ensured that the concentrated
After adjusting the model to comply with nodal loads at the ends of the panels were
RAM Advanse parameter requirements, evenly distributed and piers between
a full P-Delta analysis produced good window openings carried the correct
results which were used to check the gravity loads.
main lateral force resisting shear walls for
in-plane loading and story drift. Vertical
compression and in-plane shear were easily
reviewed and checked for each shear wall
using the masonry module.
Figure 6 Adding the Effects of Out-of-Plane
Wind Loads
The effect of out-of-plane wind loads on
the exterior walls was included by adding
localized wind pressure on the face of the
Figure 4 Exaggerated Drift wall shell elements.
The model imported from RAM
Structural System was not suitable to
carry out detailed design of individual
wall panels. Effects of load eccentricity
were not included due to precast panel
bearing on half the wall and out-of-plane
loading due to component wind loading.
RAM Frame cannot generate pressures on
walls, however, these out-of-plane loads
are easily added in the masonry module.
To analyze exterior walls, a section of wall
was isolated. Dead and live load moments Figure 7 Maintaining an Aspect Ratio 1:1.5
were added to include the out-of-plane
effects of load eccentricity on the wall. The refined model was analyzed in the
It is important to understand that general finite element module of RAM
RAM Advanse imports loads from RAM Advanse before the selected wall panel
Structural System as point loads on the was imported into the masonry module.
2009 MASONRY DESIGN & ENGINEERING|the storypole 35
 Putting It to The Test

at the top of the beam, thereby in-plane and out-of-plane forces. The
generating a “No Good” design output, however, does not give a detailed
message in the output. breakdown of the individual calculations,
making it difficult to cross check program
Editor’s Note: RAM Elements V8i
results with hand calculations.
Release 10.0 corrects the lintel issue,
along with several other updates.
IMI has also placed on its website
information to assist designers with
how to handle the negative moment
at the lintel.

Figure 8 RAM Advanse Masonry Module

The masonry module imports the

analyzed forces, stresses and strains from
the general module. Any change to the
loads or load combinations in the module
deletes all analysis results. The analysis is
then re-run in the general module. Wall
reinforcing and other parameters are set
in the masonry module. Parameters such
as CMU material properties have to be
set in the general module. The masonry
module cannot be analyzed if there is not
at least one service and one design load
combination set up.
After analyzing various
configurations of the wall
panel with different wall joint
locations in RAM Structural
System, the analysis results
were comparable to our hand
calculations. Multiple load
cases, with in-plane and out-
of-plane forces, were quickly
analyzed and designed. Good
graphical display options
allow the engineer to review
the forces and displacements
calculated at sections through
the wall panel. The detailing
module did a good job of
detailing the reinforcing steel Figure 9 Analysis Results
in the wall and around
the openings.
The lintel design module could not
design the lintels as tension stresses were
generated in the top of the shell above the
windows due to the arching effect and
distribution of forces around the window
openings. The lintel design module is pro-
grammed to provide tension reinforcing
at the bottom of the lintel beam and not
36 the storypole|2009 MASONRY DESIGN & ENGINEERING
Figure 10 Detailing Module
Similarly, using large panels, the narrow
piers between the windows were under
designed as the point loads applied to the
corners of the panels and the effects of
arching reduced the amount of axial load
in the pier.
Carefully locating the wall
joints to transfer the loads
correctly into the wall and
limiting wall panel sizes
eliminated the lintel design
issues and properly accounted
for axial load in the piers.
When large wall panels
were modeled with multiple
window openings, the
program did not correctly
design the lintels over the
openings or the piers
between the openings.
The detailed analysis print-
out gave capacity curves for
each design segment for
Residence Hall, Michigan Technological University, Houghton
Architect Neumann/Smith Architecture, Southfield
Engineer Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers, West Bloomfield
General Contractor Gundlach Champion, Houghton
Budget $14.2 million
Expected date of completion July 2010
Figure 11 Interaction Diagrams
Comparative Results
At Desai/Nasr, it has always
been our practice to use new
software products on smaller
projects. This is done mainly
to compare results of hand calculations
versus those obtained with the use of
the software. This practice allows the
engineers to become familiar with the
program and develop a higher level of
comfort with the use of a particular soft-
ware product. Since the release of RAM
Advanse Masonry Module, Desai/Nasr
has used it to analyze and design small-
scale one- and two-story buildings and
individual wall panels with openings.
The size of wall panels
and location of wall joints in
RAM Structural System directly
impact loading of the shell elements
and accuracy of the results
The Michigan Tech student housing
project was the first large multi-level
loadbearing masonry building Desai/Nasr
analyzed and designed using this masonry After analyzing various configurations of the wall panel
module. After thorough understanding
of how RAM Advanse imports the RAM with different wall joint locations in RAM Structural System,
Structural System models and loads the analysis results were comparable to our hand calculations
the masonry shell elements with few
modifications to the model, a workable
result was achieved. The RAM Structural
System modeler quickly and effectively
generates a full building model with the Jay Desai, PE, SE, SECB, CBIE, is a founding principal
required gravity and lateral loads with and president of Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers (for-
minimal input. Careful consideration is merly Jay Desai Consulting Engineers). Desai has more
recommended when setting up wall joint than 30 years experience in design and construction of
a wide variety of projects with varying complexities. His
locations to ensure that loads are correctly recent major projects include the Book Westin Cadillac
transferred into the wall shell elements. Hotel Renovations, Greek Town Casino and Hotel,
Dummy members are an effective way State Legislative Office Complex, and Wharton Center
of isolating the wall continuity at wall Expansion. He is also involved in failure investigations,
providing Expert Witness Testimony, developing
intersections and control joints, improving Alternative System Concepts, Peer Reviews and
analytical results. Analysis time can be Corrective Concepts. Desai holds a Master of Science
reduced by limiting load combinations and in Civil Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana
carrying out detailed analyses on typical and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from MS University
of Baroda, India.
wall panels only.
248.932.2010x20
Before the release of RAM Advanse jdesai@desainasr.com
Masonry Module, masonry design
software focused on component design
with independent tools to design separate
components such as shear walls, lintels,
bearing walls, piers and columns.
Marc Steinhobel, PE, SECB, a Principal Structural
The independent tools often are Engineer with Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers, has
constrained to specific geometric and load 17 years experience designing building structures.
Steinhobel has been the lead structural engineer on
parameters. Engineers will surely find
a number of fast track sprint to finish projects. He is
time-saving benefits from the introduction a driving force behind integrating structural analysis
of this masonry module to the suite of software models with building information modeling
structural software available. BIM software at Desai/Nasr. Steinhobel holds a
Bachelor of Science Degree in Structural Engineering,
Editor’s Note: Steel-framed and concrete- First Class Honors from University of Cape Town,
framed buildings have been designed for years South Africa, and received the Christopher Robertson
Scholarship in 1989.
using whole building design software. This
248.932.2010x30
is not the case for masonry buildings. Most msteinhobel@desainasr.com
have been designed using hand calculations,
spreadsheets written by individual engineers
or commercial packages that design elements
or components. The suite of Bentley software
makes whole building design a reality for
loadbearing and hybrid masonry.
Engineers who design even modest-sized
loadbearing buildings recognize that hand
calculations can be tedious and repetitious.
For a simple four-story building, it is not
uncommon for an engineer to spend six to
eight weeks developing design calculations.
To put the effect of using this software into
perspective, that time can be reduced to
approximately half. In addition, it is possible
to evaluate alternate designs or modifications
to a design without starting over.
2009 MASONRY DESIGN & ENGINEERING|the storypole 37