ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the implementation of a numerical model in a commercial finite element software package. The combination of Unreinforced Masonry (URM) and Reinforced Concrete (RC) walls is widely used as bracing system in several countries. The RC wall is connected to a concrete foundation. A steel frame supports the masonry wall. This frame is constructed in such a way that the reaction forces and base moment of the URM wall could be determined easily. A finite element model of a mixed URM-RC wall structure was implemented in the commercial finite element software DIANA. The objective was to perform a blind calculation and see if it could match with the experimental results. The fracture energy of the concrete elements was adjusted. This resulted in a better agreement with the experimental results but the behaviour in the elastic regime still shows inconsistency with the experimental results.
