Masonry wall panel design (BS5628) - Loaded opening dimension

Loaded opening dimension

Where the masonry panel design calculation is being used to design a sub panel the loaded opening dimension can be used to represent the additional load carried from the adjacent openings. In this case a load factor is used to simulate the loading applied from the adjacent openings, the load factor is calculated as (1 + 2 x Bs ) where Bs is the ratio of the load applied to the panel from the adjacent opening to the load applied directly to the panel.

The engineer can specify the "Loaded Opening Dimension", which is the length of opening from which the load is transferred to the panel under consideration. For example, considering a 2000m wide panel which has a 1500 mm opening next to it:

Example

For example, considering a 2000m wide panel which has a 1500 mm opening next to it:

• Loaded Opening Dimension x = 1500 mm / 2 = 750 mm (only half the load is transferred to the panel)
• Panel length L = 2000 mm
• Line load ratio Bs = x / L = 0.375
• Line load factor 1 + 2 x Bs = 1.750