Seismic Analysis - Specifying seismic weights through Reference load cases Bentley Technical Support Group Applies To Product(s): Version(s): Environment: Area: Subarea: Original Author: Description of the problem STAAD Pro ALL ALL Load generation NIA Kris Sathia, Bentley Technical Support Groupproblem that users have had to face in the past is the following Since the weights specified for seismic definition are used only for the lateral load analysis, it used to be necessary to re-specify all or most of these weights once again in load cases for the gravity analysis. So, the MEMBER WEIGHT data had to be re-specified through MEMBER LOADS, JOINT WEIGHTS thru JOINT LOADs, and so on. In other words, all the WEIGHTS in the seismic definition had to be provided once again as LOADS for the gravity analysis through the means of DEAD, LIVE, and other such load cases. So, the question that naturally comes up is: Since the weights for the seismic definition originate from the same set of loads that are specified under the types Dead, Live, etc., why can't we instruct the program to use the data in those load cases to generate the seismic weights automatically? Solution The Reference Load feature of the program can be used to overcome this problem. The load information contained in Reference load types can be used as the feeder data with which to assemble the seismic weights. To illustrate this method, let us assume that there are four reference load types defined in the manner shown below. DEFINE REFERENCE LOADS LOAD R1 LOADTYPE None TITLE DL1 SELFWEIGHT Y -1 LIST 1 TO 1101 LOAD R2 LOADTYPE None TITLE DL2 - EQUIPMENT MEMBER LOAD 42 60 78 92 CON GY -6 3.0 1 TO 31 41 TO 73 UNI GY -0.025 273 282 324 336 349 410 426 548 UNI GY -0.028 JOINT LOAD44 56 78 90 FY -12 LOAD R3 LOADTYPE None TITLE LL1 - LIVE LOAD ONEWAY LOAD YRANGE 4.69 4.71 ONE -2.5 XRANGE -1 13 ZRANGE -111 GY YRANGE 4.69 4.71 ONE -3.5 XRANGE 12.9 23.1 ZRANGE -111 GY JOINT LOAD 69 78 81 84.95 FX 3.5 LOAD R4 LOADTYPE None TITLE LL2 - OPERATING LIVE LOAD ELEMENT LOAD 1029 TO 1277 PR GY -2.1 JOINT LOAD 69 78 81 84.95 FZ 3.5 END DEFINE REFERENCE LOADS ‘The various loads described under these reference loads can then be used to provide the seismic weights for the seismic definition in the following manner. DEFINE 1893 LOAD ZONE 0.36 RF 311 SS 1ST 1 DM 0.05 REFERENCE LOAD YR1 1.0 R2 1.0 R3 0.25 R4 0.25 The term "Y" in the expression "REFERENCE LOAD Y" instructs the program that among the various load items that are contained in the reference load cases, only those load items acting along the Y direction should be used for creating the seismic weights. Terms specified along X and Z (such as those present in reference load cases 3 and 4) should not be used. So, the seismic load case in the mode! will look like this LOAD 1 EQINX 1893 LOAD X 1.0 and, the gravity load case will look like this * COMBINATION LOAD CASE FOR CONCRETE DESIGN LOAD7 REFERENCE LOAD R11.2R21.2R31.5R41.5 ‘Thus, the load data has to be specified only once in the model, and can be used for lateral as well as gravity analysis. Asample model that illustrates this method can be downloaded from http://communities.bentley.com/products/structural/structural_analysis _design/m/structural_analysis, and_design_gallery/264342.aspx@ REFERENCE LOADS | Created by & ¥ Kris Sathia When: Thu, Oct 24 2013 10:03 PM i. Last revision by Hi sye When: Thu, Mar 12 2015 3:05 PM Revisions: 3 Comments: 2 | Zcomments & O members are here Offline JUNGMO KO_ over 3 years af What about the positive value from HELP - Application Examples - American Examples - Examples Problems - No. 11 Response spectrum analysis of a frame Internally, the program converts these loads to masses, hence itis best to specify them as absolute values (without a negative sign) But in this post, Kris Sathia used negative sign loads, It means that either negative or positve sign loads can be converted to masses in STAAD pro? ‘And the many other materials provided by engineers which can be found at internet, they explained in ‘same way, for the response spectrum method, the load shall be input as positive values. Please reply this soon, Offline Kris Sathia over3 years ago Jungmo Ko, The program uses the absolute values of the loads from the reference load cases for calculating the weights for the seismic analysis Previewing Staged Changes