5.20.

1 Assigning Properties from Steel Tables

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5.20.1 Assigning Properties from Steel Tables

The following commands are used for specifying section properties from built-in steel table(s). The section type specification is followed by additional specifications as needed.

General Format
type-spec . table-name additional-spec. type-spec = { ST | RA | D | LD | SD | T | CM | TC | BC | TB | FR } Where: Table 5-3: Type-specs for various profile types

typespec
ST

Description
single section from the standard built-in tables

Diagram

RA

single angle with reverse Y-Z axes (see Section 1.5.2)

double profile. In the case of channels, back-to-back

LD

double angle with long legs backto-back

SD

double angle with short legs back-to-back

tee section cut from I shaped section composite section, available for I

CM

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shaped sections

TC

section with top cover plate

BC

section with bottom cover plate

TB

section with both top and bottom cover plate

FR

front-to-front (i.e., toe-to-toe) channels. Spacing between the channels must be provided using the SP option mentioned in the additional spec specification described below.

table-name = Table section name like W8X18, C15X33 etc. The documentation on steel design per individual country codes contains information regarding their steel section specification also. For details on specifying sections from the American steel tables, see Section 2.2.1 of this manual. additional-spec = * {SP f1 | WP f2 | TH f3 | WT f4 | DT f5 | OD f6 | ID f7 | CT f8 | FC f9 | CW f10 | CD f11 } Where:

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Table 5-4: Additional specifications for steel sections

Variable
f1

Description
Spacing between double angles or double channels (default is 0.0) Rib height for composite sections

f2

Width of cover plate for I shaped sections with cover plate. Bottom cover plate width for composite sections

f3

Thickness of plates or tubes. Bottom cover plate thickness for composite sections

f4 f5 f6 f7 f8 f9 f10 f11

Width of tube. Depth of tube. Outer diameter of pipe. Inside diameter of pipe. Concrete thickness of the concrete for composite sections. Compressive strength of concrete for composite sections. Concrete width for composite sections. Concrete density for composite sections (default is 150 pounds per cubic ft.)

See "Built-In Steel Section Library" for more information.

Figure 5-10: Spacing for (A) FR double channels and (B) double wide-flange sections

See "Examples of Member Property Specification" for an example.

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Notes
All values f1-9 must be supplied in current units. Some important points to note in the case of the composite section are: 1. The CM parameter can be assigned to I-shaped sections only. A CM (composite) section is one obtained by considering a portion of a concrete slab to act in unison with the I shaped steel section. FC is the strength or grade of concrete used in the slab. In the USA, FC is called the specified compressive strength of concrete. Typical values of FC range between 2.0 and 5.0 ksi, and 20 to 50 Mpa. 2. The width of the concrete slab (CW) (if not entered) is assumed to be the width of the top flange of the steel section + 16 times the thickness of the slab. 3. In order to calculate the section properties of the cross-section, the modular ratio is calculated assuming that: Es = Modulus of elasticity of steel = 29000 Ksi. Ec = Modulus of elasticity of concrete = 1802.5(Fc) Ksi Where Fc (in Ksi) is defined earlier. Some other general notes on this subject of member property designations are : 4. The T parameter stands for a T-shaped section obtained by cutting an I-shaped section at exactly its mid height level along the web. Hence, the area of a T shape is exactly half the area of the corresponding I shape. The depth of a T shape is half the depth of the I shape it was cut from. What we refer to as I shaped sections are sections which look like the English alphabet I. The American Wide Flange, the British UB and UC sections, Japanese H sections, etc., all fall under this category. Consequently, the 'T' shape cut from a Japanese H shape is one obtained by cutting the H shape at exactly its midheight level of the web. Not all I shaped sections have a corresponding T. This may be inferred by going through the section libraries of individual countries and organizations. In such cases, if a user were to specify such a T section, the program will terminate with the message that the section does not exist. 5. Steel Cover plates also can be added only to I shaped sections. Thus, the TC, BC, and TB are not applicable to any shape other than an I shape

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