Answer:
If the load-bearing capacity of the wall surface is neglected and only applied to the ceiling as a load by using a line load, it would result in very large deformations.
If the nonlinear property of the masonry is not considered, it would result in very small deformations.
In principle, there are three options available in RFEM.
- Line release in which only vertical compression forces are transferred. In this case, the nonlinear property is only applied for the force transmission directly to the connection line of both surfaces.
- Nonlinear material "Isotropic Masonry": In this case, the tension stresses in the x- and y-directions (that is, vertical and horizontal) are reduced iteratively to the specified limit values by reducing the stiffness. Using this model, it is possible to represent the behavior of a masonry wall that is closest to reality, because the tension stresses are reduced in the direction of the mortar joints. This requires the RF‑MAT‑NL add-on module.
- Nonlinear Surface Stiffness Type "Without Membrane Tension": In this case, the tension stresses in the principal stress direction are reduced iteratively by reducing the stiffness.
