Research project Development of new design rules for earth masonry on the basis of DIN EN 19963/NA
Project name Development of new design rules for earth masonry on the basis of DIN EN 19963/NA
Project partner
Duration 01. May 2019 – 30. April 2022
Grantor Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt
Project content Due to its low energy requirement and its full reusability, earth is very ecological and climate-friendly. In addition, earthen building materials have a positive influence on the indoor climate, as they are able to effectively reduce fluctuations in air humidity. The design of load-bearing earth masonry in Germany is currently based on the Lehmbau Regeln. The design rules include a global safety concept, which does not correspond to the state of the art and will therefore be withdrawn in future. Furthermore, the Lehmbau Regeln severely restrict the application area of load-bearing earth masonry, which prevents its use in many cases. In order to enable a safe and extended application of earth masonry, a new design concept will be developed in the framework of this research project. For this purpose, experimental, numerical and probabilistic investigations are carried out. It will be examined whether the simplified calculation methods for unreinforced masonry according to DIN EN 1996-3/NA can be transferred to the design of earth masonry. Moreover, the influence of the ambient climate on the load-bearing capacity of earth masonry will be investigated in detail and taken into account during the development of the new design concept.