10 Jan Software, Software Tips, Technical Deflection Check for Out-of-Plane Walls January 30, 2023 Posted by Gurparam Kang 0 comments When designing out-of-plane cantilever walls subjected to lateral loads, the MASS software can be used to check the wall’s deflection a... Continue reading
11 Jun Bug Notification, Technical Change Notification: Lambda Values for Beam Density and Shear June 25, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb 0 comments Deviating from the CSA Standards to better reflect practical design While the existing implementation for MASS Versions 3.0 ... Continue reading
21 Apr Bug Notification, Technical Bug Notification: Drift Values instead of Elastic Deflections used for Inelastic Rotational Demand April 21, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb 0 comments The current MASS approach in Version 4.0 means that linear elastic deflections are over-corrected in a way that largely overestimates d... Continue reading
19 Apr Bug Notification, Technical Bug Notification: Seismic reinforcement spacings applied to all shear walls resisting an earthquake load August 11, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb 0 comments While most seismic requirements are triggered by the application of an earthquake load, MASS is too stringent on it's reinforcement spa... Continue reading
09 Mar Bug Notification Notification: Seismic Shear Forces Amplification Change for Elements Above Critical Section June 17, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb 0 comments The storey-by-storey design approach currently in MASS can excessively amplify shear forces beyond expected results In cases... Continue reading
08 Feb Bug Notification Bug Notification: Non-Seismic Lateral Companion Loads Amplified for Seismic Effects April 19, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb 0 comments Be aware of this for shear wall designs resisting lateral earth pressures In cases where a bug or other issue is found in th... Continue reading
12 Jan Announcements, Software Tips Version 4.0 Feature Spotlight: Ductility Verification January 11, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb 0 comments Moderately Ductile and Ductile shear walls can now be designed within MASS to satisfy the ductility verification (required by CSA S304-... Continue reading
11 Jan Announcements, Software Tips Version 4.0 Feature Spotlight: Simplified National Building Code Seismic Design February 9, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb 0 comments Added to the 2015 National Building Code of Canada is a new design pathway that can be used for areas with very low seismic hazard leve... Continue reading
11 Nov Bug Notification, Technical Bug Notification: Out-of-Plane Shear Resistance checked only at location of maximum shear January 13, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb 1 comment While not always calculated at the critical location of a wall, out-of-plane walls are typically governed by flexure. In cas... Continue reading
11 Nov Bug Notification, Troubleshooting Known Bugs in MASS April 6, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb Bugs are found from time to time and in our effort to be trustworthy and transparent, they are posted here as well as appearing on the ... Continue reading
16 May Licensing, News Updated Pricing Announced for all MASS Licenses January 6, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb After five years of consistent renewal pricing, a small change has been applied to all renewal and purchase prices This arti... Continue reading
10 Nov Software Tips, Technical What is the Difference Between Fixed and Cantilever Pier Designations in a Shearline? January 6, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb When designing a Shearline using MASS, the software relies on you to determine how the wall behaves This article originally ... Continue reading
03 Nov Software Tips, Technical How to model individual storeys of a multi-storey shear wall within MASS January 6, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb In the absence of a true multi-storey MASS module (Update: added in V4.0), there are steps that can be taken to use MASS effectively fo... Continue reading
02 Nov Software Tips, Technical What is the Difference Between Height and Total Height when Designing a Shear Wall in MASS? January 6, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb Understanding the Total Height input when using MASS can add considerable moment capacity to a shear wall design This articl... Continue reading
27 Sep News, Software Official Release of MASS Version 3.0 brings current Codes and Standards to a Familiar Software Interface January 6, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb Version 3.0 takes everything from previous software versions and adapts it to the latest standards This article originally w... Continue reading
20 Sep News, Software What is MASS Version 2.2.1? (and why you should install it) January 6, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb With the release of MASS Version 3.0, the previous edition of MASS has gotten a small adjustment This article originally was... Continue reading
12 Sep Bug Notification, Technical, Troubleshooting MASS Bug Notification: Critical buckling load overestimated for some reinforced walls under high axial load January 6, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb Understanding the issue, when it can come up, and what can be done to account for it This article originally was featured on... Continue reading
11 Sep Technical What is the difference between the length, clear span, bearing length, and design length of a masonry beam in MASS? January 6, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb Understand the different values and what they represent This article originally was featured on the MASS Software Blog, form... Continue reading
06 Sep Troubleshooting What is the Difference Between “.masonry” and “.masonry14” Projects? January 6, 2021 Posted by Brad Crumb With the release of MASS Version 3.0 comes a new design standard as well as a new type of project file. What's the differenc... Continue reading