Case Study: Arsenal Research achieves accurate masonry earthquake-risk assessment with ANSYS

Arsenal Research - Customer Case Study

Arsenal Research, an Austrian R&D organization focused on mobility and energy, faced the challenge of assessing earthquake risk in masonry structures—complex composite materials with difficult failure behavior where realistic seismic assessment and cost‑effective rehabilitation are critical. To tackle this, Arsenal Research used ANSYS, leveraging ANSYS Structural and the ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL) for its structural simulation work.

ANSYS APDL was used to post‑process response‑spectra earthquake analyses, implement an innovative masonry material model, and run element‑wise failure‑mode tests via automated macros and dialog boxes. The ANSYS solution delivered detailed damage‑region predictions and failure‑mode evaluations that improved material utilization, automated calculations, and reduced the amount of necessary strengthening measures, enabling better planning of optimal countermeasures.