ABSTRACT
The transfer of bending moments in building components consisting of a material without tensile strength always requires a simultaneously acting normal force. Masonry walls exposed to horizontal loads need a minimum vertical load, in order to keep the resultant stress at the mid-height of the wall within the cross-section. Apart from the bending moments due to wind load, an initial eccentricity of the vertical load as well as second order effects due to wall deformations have to be considered. The basis for the determination of the system loadbearing capacity considering the effects due to the second order theory. According to Eurocode 6, in addition to the load- bearing capacity of masonry walls subjected to vertical and horizontal stress under the maximum load combination, the load-bearing capacity under minimum vertical loads has also to be verified. According to EN 1996-3, a rigid plastic material behaviour is used to verify masonry walls subjected to normal force and bending moments.
