Verification of the fire resistance of clay brick masonry - hints for efficient design / Nachweis des Feuerwiderstands von Ziegelmauerwerk - Tipps für eine effiziente Bemessung

In Germany, structural fire design of masonry is carried out in a simplified way using tabulated minimum wall thicknesses depending on the loading level in fire. Against this background the procedure of structural fire design is shown briefly before two approaches for a more efficient verification of the fire resistance are explained. The first possibility is to determine the reduction factor for the design value of the actions in fire more precisely and thereby reduce the loading level. Secondly, a design methodology is presented which can be applied in case of masonry walls with low vertical load but a large load eccentricity at mid-height of the wall. Finally, the verification of the fire resistance of masonry according to national technical approval is discussed with an explanation how to obtain the same loading level in fire if the design is based on DIN EN 1996-3/NA as when it is based on DIN EN 1996-1-1/NA.