DDMas - Digitizing the Design of Masonry Structures

In the cooperative research project "DDMaS // Digitizing the Design of Masonry Structures", a mixed team from science and industry has been researching the development of a realistic digital modeling of masonry structures in an industry-standard software environment for over two years.

By contributing their expertise, the project partners directly shape the development process of the software solution and at the same time benefit from the expansion of their own knowledge base. Bricks made of fired clay are among the oldest building elements and prove their future viability through continuous further development into a highly modern building material. In order to be able to use the full potential of this construction method, it is also necessary to develop contemporary calculation and verification concepts for the building material and thus meet the requirements of digital 3D planning, also in the context of Building Information Modeling (BIM).
The material model developed in the project allows masonry structures to be analyzed and verified close to Eurocode using nonlinear finite element analysis. This method also makes it possible to investigate interconnected structures or entire buildings.

The material model is already implemented in the software and the design concepts and the combined consideration with other materials are currently being worked on. In parallel, comparative calculations are performed to verify the applicability and the agreement of the results with normative calculations.

Projectduration:
2018 — 2020

Financing:
Austria Research Promotion Agency (FFG)
Initiative Ziegel

Projectleader:
Institut für Tragwerksentwurf, TU Graz

Projectpartnerships:
Initiative Ziegel
Dlubal Software GmbH
Dr. PECH Ziviltechniker GmbH
Kammer der Architekten und Ingenieurkonsulenten
Wienerberger AG
Wienerberger Ziegelwerke