Nichtlinearer Erdbebennachweis von Gebäuden aus Kalksandsteinmauerwerk nach DIN EN 1998

Nonlinear seismic safety verification of calcium silicate masonry buildings according to DIN EN 1998.

The standard procedure for the seismic safety verification of masonry buildings according to the seismic design provisions of the German seismic building code DIN 4149 is traditionally based on a linear design concept. The practical application of the linear design concept leads to major difficulties, even for ground plan configurations which have already proven their stability in past earthquakes. This challenging situation was the starting point for intensive research activities on national and European level, initiated by the German masonry industry. The most important result of the activities was the development of an innovative nonlinear design concept, which is already incorporated in the National Annex of DIN EN 1998-1. The new concept, which fully utilizes the nonlinear bearing reserves, will solve the difficulties in the seismic design of masonry build ings. The application of the concept will be demonstrated on the example of a typical terraced house made of calcium silicate units. The design of the terraced house has been approved by national building authorities, because the new design concept is not part of the German earthquake code DIN 4149 yet. The concept, developed at the RWTH Aachen, was implemented into a software package. The software solution is easy to use and ensures the traceability of the nonlinear results in the engineering practice.