Case Study: Z.Ma Research and Consulting achieves validated fastener performance and fire-safety compliance insights with Dassault Systèmes' Abaqus

Z.Ma Research and Consulting - Customer Case Study

Z.Ma Research and Consulting, working with researchers at Aalto University and Ruukki Construction, faced the challenge of understanding how powder-actuated fasteners (PAFs) perform under fire and shear to meet EU roofing safety rules (15 minutes at temperatures up to 600°C). To investigate installation dynamics, residual stresses, and high‑temperature lap‑shear behavior that are difficult to capture experimentally, the team used Dassault Systemes’ Abaqus finite element software.

Using Dassault Systemes’ Abaqus, Dr. Ma built multi‑step, coupled Eulerian‑Lagrangian FEA models that simulated driving, springback, heating (200/400/600°C), and lap‑shear loading; the simulations correlated well with physical tests. The study identified four key contributors to shear resistance, showed a protuberance feature that reaches about 1.5 mm at an 8 mm stand‑off, and demonstrated a 30–60% increase in load‑bearing resistance at qualified stand‑off heights—findings that validate designs, inform installation specs, and could allow fewer fasteners without compromising safety.