Author
JAN KUBICA Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland

Abstract
The paper deals the analysis of problems with the calculation of masonry shear walls. National standards usually only give general information on analysis of shear walls and only concern walls subjected to horizontal wind loads. Even Eurocode 6 is concerned only with this type of load. There is no information on how to analyse the stiffness of building or frame structures with masonry infill, when the vertical load is dominant. This problem is discussed on the basis of the new Polish national masonry code PrPN-B-03002:1998 which is compatible with EC6. The Polish proposition, based on analysing the non-dilatational strain angle (Q) of the walls, is presented. This approach has many years of tradition in Poland. The test results form the basis of the Qudn (admissible values of the non-dilatational strain angle) for vertical shear.