©COMPUTERS AND STRUCTURES, INC.

, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA FEBRUARY 2003

TUBULAR STEEL FRAME PUNCHING LOAD CHECK
®
SAP2000 Technical Note
Overview of Punching Load Check

This Technical Note presents a brief overview of tubular steel frame punching
load check features in the program. The punching load check is available for
both working stress and LRFD design. The checks are based on the
requirements presented in the American Petroleum Institute 1993 and
American Petroleum Institute 2000 references.

General
The punching load check is a part of the steel frame design. It is only
available when the steel design code is set to API RP2A-WSD2000 or API
RP2A-LRFD 97. The steel design code is set using the Options >
Preferences > Steel Frame Design command.

Important Note: The punching load check is applicable to steel pipe sections
only. The punching load check is not performed for other types of frame
sections.

When the steel design code is set to API RP2A-WSD2000 or API RP2A-LRFD
97, three menu options associated with punching load design are displayed on
the steel frame design menu (Design menu > Steel Frame Design
command). Those menu items are API Punching Load Joint Assigns, Start API
Punching Load Check, and Interactive API Punching Load Check.

Unlike the steel frame design/check, which proceeds on a frame-element–by-

frame element basis, the punching load check proceeds on a joint-by-joint
basis.

The Design menu > Steel Frame Design > API Punching Load Joint
Assigns command allows you to view and modify the program determined
punching load data for a selected joint. A joint must be selected for this
command to be active. Refer to the Technical Note entitled “Punching Load
Assignments” for more detailed information.

General Page 1 of 2
Tubular Steel Frame Punching Load Check Overview of Punching Load Check

The Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Start API Punching Load
Check command starts the design check. This command becomes active after
a steel frame design/check has been performed using the Design menu >
Steel Frame Design > Start Design/Check of Structure command.

The Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Interactive API Punching
Load Check command puts the program in a mode where punching load
design is interactively checked at a selected joint. This command becomes
active after the punching load check has been performed using the Design
menu > Steel Frame Design > Interactive API Punching Load Check
command. When the program is in the interactive design mode, right clicking
a joint starts the interactive design. Note that by default, after the punching
load check has been performed using the Design menu > Steel Frame
Design > Interactive API Punching Load Check command, the program
is automatically put in the interactive design mode. Refer to the Technical
Note entitled “Interactive Punching Load Check” for more detailed
information.

Punch Loading Check Methods for API RP2A-WSD2000

For the API RP2A-WSD2000 punching load check, two check methods are
available. They are the punching load method and the nominal load method.
As mentioned in Section 4.3.1 of the American Petroleum Institute 2000
reference, these two methods are intended to give equivalent results.

Indicate the desired punching load check method using the steel design
preferences, which can be accessed using the Options > Preferences >
Steel Frame Design command. The punching load method preference item
is only available when the steel code is set to API RP2A-WSD2000.

References
American Petroleum Institute (API). 1993. Recommended Practice for
Planning, Designing, and Constructing Fixed Offshore Platforms – Load
and Resistance Factor Design; API Recommended Practice 2A-LRFD
(RP 2A-LRFD). First Edition. July.
American Petroleum Institute (API). 2000. Recommended Practice for
Planning, Designing, and Constructing Fixed Offshore Platforms –
Working Stress Design; API Recommended Practice 2A-WSD (RP 2A-
WSD). Twenty-First Edition. December.

Punch Loading Check Methods for API RP2A-WSD2000 Page 2 of 2