16 MasterKey Masonry Design

16.1 Getting Started with MasterKey Masonry

MasterKey Masonry Design is an interactive program for the design of reinforced and
un-reinforced masonry columns, stiffened and un-stiffened, single and cavity wall panels
with or without openings to BS 5628.
MasterKey Masonry Design is a very powerful and an extremely user friendly program
with a short learning curve.

MasterKey Masonry Design - PowerPad Examples

MasterKey Masonry Design.

16.1.1 Design Features

• Reinforced and unreinforced masonry walls and columns

• Stiffend and unstiffened single-leaf and cavity walls
• Diaphragm walls

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• Support conditions includes free, simple, continuous and partially fixed (-100 =Free,
0=Simple, 100 Continuous)
• Line load at free edge
• Load bearing and infill wall panels
• Materials and workmanship can be selected from the in-built library
• Uniform and triangular lateral load
• Horizontal shear force and horizontal wind moment in the plane of the wall
• Internal load factoring with an option for non-critical panels
• Option to observe or disregard the H/L limits
• Option to share the horizontal loads between the inner and outer lead
• Option to place pier in tension or compression
• One or Two Openings
• Various methods for the design of panels with openings including the reduced fixity
method.
• Various options to customise the viewing and printing of results.

16.1.2 Operational Features

• Easy to use, very fast with powerful editing facilities

• Toolbar for quick access to program options
• In-built library of material properties and strengths
• Fast navigation facilities to display any part of the output
• A full summary of the design data is displayed with clear warnings of non-compliance
• Whilst viewing the results, AutoChange facilities are provided which enable the
Engineer to rapidly select the most economical design
• Automatic transfer of data from one design to another for rapid analysis and design of
similar panels
• In-built on-screen training
• Clear and concise output with selective printing

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16.1.3 Primary Program Interface Regions

The screen above shows four main areas as follows:

• The bar menu and tool bar.
• The detailed design output and graphics area with its scroll bar.
• The design summary with the paragraph and section design output navigator spin
buttons.
• The editing area.
The analysis is conducted and the detailed output and the design summary areas are
updated dynamically as the masonry wall data is altered in the editing area.

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16.2 The MasterKey Masonry Tool Bar

The tool bar provides efficient access to many of the primary file management, editing
and printing/exporting functions. The quick set controls allow you to enable/disable
particular parameters relating to wall data, applied forces, and stiffening piers.
File Utilities:
Create new file using the current defaults
Open file
Save current file
Brief Utilities:
Delete the current brief (Design Brief tab)
Copy the current brief to clipboard
Add new brief form clipboard
Add new brief based on currently active brief.
Graphics always on top (View menu)
Next/Previous brief spin button
Masonry wall/column characteristics and loading:
Masonry Column (ON), Masonry Wall (OFF)
Cavity Wall (ON), Single Leaf Wall (OFF)
Stiffened wall by masonry piers (ON), Un-stiffened (OFF)
Diaphragm wall (not yet available)
Apply/remove vertical axial load as defined in the Inner and/or Outer
leaf tab
Apply/remove lateral load as defined in the Lateral Load tab
Stipulate more than two storeys (design criteria)
Boundary conditions, Openings and Reinforcement
Two way spanning wall (all four boundary conditions fully fixed)
Free standing cantilever wall (bottom boundary only fully fixed)
Vertically spanning wall (top and bottom boundaries fully fixed)
Insert one opening, with dimensions as defined in the Openings tab
Insert two openings, with dimensions as defined in the Openings tab
Where openings are present design the sub panels as spanning
horizontally
Where openings are present design the sub panels as spanning
vertically
Use the reduced fixity approach for the design of small openings
Yield line analysis (not yet available)
Use mixed horizontal and vertical spanning panels (span vertical must
be active)
Apply/remove bed reinforcement as defined in the Reinforcement tab

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Printing and Exporting:
Export / print graphics ON/OFF
Project title and Job references
Print current brief
Print all briefs
Export current brief to Word
Export all briefs to Word

16.3 The Detailed Design Output and Graphics Area

Where non-compliance with a design criteria is present the background of the area is
coloured Cyan. A white background indicates all design checks are passing.
Graphics

The on screen graphics of the current masonry wall brief changes dynamically with any
modifications to the information in the editing area. By clicking the Graphics always on
top button in the tool bar the graphics will remain visible as you scroll through the design
output.

Detailed Design Output

The design output is presented in a detailed and concise format. The various deign
checks are clearly divided into headed sections. The results are generally displayed
over four columns, in the format;
Column 1 – Description of calculation, item or numerical value.
Column 2 – Design data or calculation.
Column 3 – Calculation result or permissible values.
Column 4 – Design check verdict, OK or Warning.
Please note that if no text output can be seen on your screen when you scroll the bar
then you may have set all output not to be displayed/printed in the Quick Set tab, or you
may have set Graphics On Top [Default] in the view menu to ON (checked).

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16.4 The Design Summary Area

The design summary area permits immediate evaluation of the fundamental design
checks. The unity ratios are dynamically updated with any alteration of information in
the editing area.
By clicking on any of the items in the design summary area, the corresponding detailed
design output is displayed. The paragraph and section navigator spin buttons also
provide useful tools for scrolling the detailed design output.
Any unity ratios
exceeding 1.0 represent
a design failure and are
highlighted in red. The
background colour of the
design output and
graphics area also
changes to Cyan, making
any design failure
immediately apparent.

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16.5 The Editing Area Summary
The Editing Area is divided into 7 tabs:
• Quick Set; Contains functions similar to those available in the top tool bar.
Add/Delete/Sort briefs, wall characteristics and loading, boundary conditions, and
filtering of design output.
• Wall Data; Define wall boundary conditions and dimensions.
• Outer Leaf: Define outer leaf material, applied axial concentric and eccentric dead
and live loading, as well as outer leaf material density. Only active in cavity walls.
• Inner Leaf: Input fields as outer leaf. In a single leaf masonry wall the tab is renamed
to Wall Data.
• Lateral Load; Apply lateral and in plane loading. Define piers in tension or
compression.
• Openings; Apply one or two openings, specify dimensions, and select opening
design approach. Some general viewing options are also available.
• Reinforcement; Apply bed reinforcement.
Analysis and design is carried out automatically and instantaneously as any influential
input data is changed.

16.5.1 The Quick Set Tab

Multiple masonry wall design briefs may be stored in a single data file. To add a new
design brief:

1. Click the Add Brief button in the Quick Set tab, or alternatively select the add brief
button form the top tool bar. A new brief will be added, copied from the active
brief.
2. Edit the brief title in the drop list text box in the Quick Set tab.

To add a brief as a copy of a brief from another file:

1. Locate the brief in the file to copy, and click on the copy current brief to clipboard
function .

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 2. Open the file to add the new brief to, and select the add brief from clipboard
control . The new brief is added to the end of the design brief listing.

To move to a masonry design brief;

1. Select the brief from the drop list, or

2. Use the Spin button adjacent to the drop list to move to the next/previous, or
3. Use the spin button on the top tool bar .

To delete a Brief;

1. Move to the brief using the brief drop list or the adjacent spin button.
2. Select Delete Brief from the Quick Set tab or click the button on the top tool
bar.

The Wall Type and Specifications controls mirror many of the functions provided in the
top tool bar. The Output area allows the user to select which components of output to
display in the design output area, and to export or print.

The Add, Delete, Copy and paste brief functions are also available from the Edit
menu.

16.5.2 Wall Data

Use the Wall Data Tab to define the support conditions and the wall geometry.

The boundary conditions of the four sides of the masonry panel can be set to free,
pinned, fixed, and partially fixed. By clicking on the number in the shaded bar on each
boundary the support condition is altered, where;
• 0 - Unsupported boundary. A text box also appears on the wall boundary to receive
a numerical value of a line load (kN/m) applied in the wall plane.
• 1 - Pinned boundary condition
• 2 - Fully fixed boundary condition
• 3 - Partial rotational fixity. Define the percentage of full fixity in the text box provided
(100 – full rotational fixity, 0 – Pinned)

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The horizontal and vertical dimensions of the wall panel are defined along with the
associated effective lengths.
To change the wall configuration, use the toolbar options (Column, Cavity, Stiffened and
Diaphragm).

16.5.3 Outer Leaf and Inner leaf

Use the Outer-Leaf and Inner-Leaf tab to define the respective leaf data.

Drop lists of standard masonry unit and mortar joint material properties are provided for
convenient specification. The density (kN/m3) of the inner and outer leaf can also be
specified in each tab.
Concentric and eccentric unfactored vertical dead and live line loads can be applied to
each leaf. The load bearing option in the Quick Set tab or the control in the tool bar
must be firstly selected.
In the case of a single leaf masonry wall the Outer Leaf tab becomes inactive and the
Inner Leaf tab is renamed to simply Wall Data, but still receives the same information.

16.5.4 Lateral Loading

Use the Lateral Load Tab to enter any unfactored lateral and horizontal loading.

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To activate the Lateral Load Tab you must have the Laterally Loaded button in the
toolbar in the ON position .
For lateral loads you can select to use 1.2 load factor for non-critical panels, observe or
disregard the H/L limits and to share or not to share the horizontal loads between the
inner and outer lead when applicable.
For Walls you can define a uniform and triangular lateral load, a horizontal shear force
and horizontal wind moment in the plane of the wall.
For laterally loaded stiffened walls you can select pier in tension or pier in compression.
For columns you can select the unit for the lateral loads (kN/m or kN/m2). You can
define a uniform and triangular load in either direction.

16.5.5 Openings
Use the Opening Tab to define the position of masonry wall openings.

To activate the Openings Tab you must have either the One Opening or the Two
Openings button in the toolbar in the ON position .
You must select an appropriate design method for the openings, you can choose, Span
it Horizontally, Span it Vertically or Reduced Fixity method .

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If you select to Span Vertically,
then you have the option to use
Partial Fixity to Main Sub-Panels
. This will increase the size of
the secondary panel above and
below the openings and take a
partial fixity equal to 50% of solid
height to increase the support on
the vertical edges of the main sub-
panels from fully free to partially
simply supported.
You can use the View Options in the Openings Tab to select to display or hide support
conditions, the dead and live load calculation from each sub-panel design. You can also
select to summarise the sub-panel design output and show the sub-panel division on the
graphics.
You can use the Quick Tab to select the Output you wish to produce for the design of
the openings.
In the Case of using the Reduced
Fixity method you choose not to print
the Main Wall Results.

The horizontally spanning

design method.

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 The vertically spanning
design method.

The vertically spanning

partial fixity design method.

The Main Wall results show the design of the wall panel as a whole ignoring the
openings.

16.5.6 Reinforcement

Click the button in the reinforcement tab or on the top toolbar to add / remove the
specified reinforcement.

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The bed reinforcement bars are placed
in pairs. The user must select from the
drop list the; bar diameter, horizontal
spacing between the two bars, and the
vertical spacing between the courses.

The reinforcement is specified for each leaf and may be individually deactivated using
the check box option to the left of the tab.

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16.6 Printing and Exporting of Results

Export / print graphics ON/OFF

Edit Project title and Job references (Edit menu)
Print current brief (Print menu)
Print all briefs (Print menu)
Export current brief to Word (PowerPad menu)
Export all briefs to Word (PowerPad menu)
The components of the design output to print/export can be selected/deselected from
the Output area in the Quick Set tab.

Sample of Design output exported to PowerPad

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