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Description
This document provides practical examples on how to do Analysis & Design with Tekla Structures.
This document can be used as reference manual, as the items in the table on contents are linked to
the corresponding headings in the document.
Contents
If you want to review a certain subject, please select the subject in the table of contents, which is
linked to the corresponding heading in the document.
Full model: All parts of the model will be included, except those which the analysis type has been set
as Ignore (on the analysis tab of part dialog). Any existing select filter may also be connected to filter
out parts. Parts created by macros will not be included in the full model (exceptions where parts are
created by the truss and concrete slab macros, as these macros set the analysis properties for the
parts they create).
By selected parts and loads: Selected parts and loads will only be included. Any connection part
may also be included. Parts and loads may later be added or removed by Analysis->Add members,
Analysis->Remove members.
Extended clash check should be used, for more accurate analysis model creation.
Option Use rigid links is used if more accurate modelling of eccentricities in the model is required:
See also case “Enable or disable rigid links in specific places”. Both of the following are possible:
• Analysis model is set to Force to centric connection. Generally rigid links are not used, but it is
possible to force rigid link at a specific place.
• Analysis model is set to Use rigid links. Generally rigid links are used, but it is possible to
disable rigid link at a specific location.
Analysis offsets:
These are used to introduce longitudinal offsets, to model the conditions more accurately. One
example is the connection between a precast concrete beam and column where the load from the
beam is eccentric on the column:
To make sure the correct members are loaded use the Part names filter.
To guarantee that the load will be applied to the required members, ensure that the bounding box is
large enough. Generally, it should be no problem if the bounding box is over-sized.
Set spanning to single/double and primary spanning direction. If double spanning and Automatic
primary axis weight is set to Yes it makes no difference as to which of the two spanning directions is
selected as the primary direction.
Only in double spanning case, automatic primary axis weight and the weight value affect the
proportions of the load which is applied to the primary axis and to the perpendicular axis. If automatic
primary axis weight is set to Yes, the proportions will be in shared to the third power of the span
lengths in these two directions, i.e. the shorter the span, the larger the proportion of the load. The
weight value does not matter. If automatic primary axis weight is set to No, the given factor is used to
divide the load, see diagrams below. The settings are applicable to point load, line load and
uniform/area load (although this issue is not relevant to uniform/area load if they cover the whole panel
area).
Setting create fixed support conditions automatically is related to load distribution on continuous
structures (setting is actually renamed to Use continuous structure load distribution in version 11.1).
When uniform load Q is applied on a continuous beam with span lengths L, the load on the leftmost
span is not divided equally to the supports, but instead the support loads will be 0.375QL and
0.625QL. Enabling this setting means that this effect is included in the load distribution.
Sometimes intermediate nodes are required along a member. This is often required for frequency
analysis.
There are user defined attributes and specify the number of split nodes and distances to create the
additional nodes.
To model composite beam the user can either give composite beam properties directly to the beam or
use the Automatic Composite Beam option. On the later condition Tekla Structures recognizes the
concrete deck above the beam and takes composite properties directly from the deck properties.
Decks can be modelled as flat slab or as a composite deck. Concrete thickness material is taken from
the deck and also rib height and width if the composite deck used. Deck properties are defined in the
profile catalog.
If beam has shear studs defined the analysis uses information directly from them.
If deck or shear studs are not modelled these design properties are defined on the beams composite
and design tab pages.
Beam settings
To analyse beams as composite beams, then modify the beam properties on the Analysis tab.
1. Select:
• Composite beam: modify composite beam properties manually
• Automatic composite beam: Tekla Structures automatically recognizes
the composite beams, and calculates the effective slab width.
2. When you have modified the properties, run analysis and Tekla Structures calculates the effective
slab width.
• 1/8 of beam span, center-to-center, of support
• Effective width may not be more than half of the distance to the nearest composite beam.
• The effective width may not be more than the maximum distance to the next beam:
With Composite beam option, the slab width is zero if there is no beam
on the left or right.
Design tab page contains composite beam properties if deck or shear studs are not modelled.
Interface to STAAD.Pro
These values are taken to account when designing the beam and number of studs required.
STAAD.Pro takes following arguments into account during the design.
STAAD.Pro Output
STAAD.PRO.PRO CODE CHECKING - (AISC 9TH
EDITION)
********************************************
------------------------------------------------------------------
------
| MEM= 7 Section = CM W27X84 Ratio = 0.054 Status :
Pass |
| Section Loc. = 1.00 Load = 103 Moment = 0.4422E+3 kip-
inch |
| Critical Condition : Steel stress after concrete hardens: I2
|
| UNITS - POUN FEET
|
| Actual Steel Stress before Concrete Hardens = 0.1214E+6
|
STAAD.PRO model:
Use equivalent profiles i.e. from User Defined Attributes dialog define the profile to be considered in
the analysis.
If the plate girder is modelled using custom parts, then the values can be filled in automatically.
Optimisation recommends the new equivalent profile. The user can also define a special optimisation
group for the plate profile with optimization group UDA. See case “Define optimisation groups”.
So, for HEA300 the default choices are HEA100, HEA120, ..., HEA1000, and the optimisation result
could be:
This group is named A1 and can be defined by modifying each of these profiles in the profile catalog:
NOTE: After modifying the profile catalog, the analysis must be rerun, before optimisation can be
performed according to the modified settings.
In addition, as this group contains one section (HEAA300) from another profile tree branch, the
advanced option needs to be modified:
Beams are drawn in red, rigid links in dark blue and slab/wall edges in light blue. Also nodes will be
drawn.
The analysis model cannot be drawn until the analysis has been run, or Analysis->Create model has
been used. Create model is useful especially when the STAAD.Pro analysis takes a considerable
time, as only the analysis model and STAAD.Pro model are created and no actual analysis is made.
Analysis model can then be checked in TS, and also using STAAD.Pro post-processor.
User defined attribute Rigid link is used to control rigid links at a specific location. The value of the
attribute is a three-digit number of 1 or 0, 1 = rigid link enabled and 0 = rigid link disabled. The first
digit is the setting for the beam start point, the second digit is the setting for all intermediate points
between start and end point, and the third digit is the setting for the beam end point.
If Rigid link attribute is not set, there will be no rigid link. Rigid links can be created with the following
attribute values:
If Rigid link attribute is not set, there will be rigid link. To disable the rigid link, it is enough to set the
attribute for only one beam:
There is no dedicated tool available to find the TS model member by STAAD.Pro element number.
Therefore the element can be found in the following ways:
• If the STAAD.Pro element reference is in TS analysis log file, simply click on the row and the
TS member is highlighted (selected). If it is hard to locate the selected member, use View->Fit
by parts.
• Highlight the element in STAAD.Pro. Select “beam” mode on the left side of STAAD.Pro post
processor. The location in TS model may then be found visually, and Inquire->Part may be
used to check the STAAD.Pro elements of a given TS member.
• Open STAAD.Pro input file (.std), locate GROUP section. The ID of the TS member can be
found there.
• If the STAAD.Pro node reference is in TS analysis log file, simply click on the row and the TS
member is highlighted (selected). If it is hard to locate the selected member(s), use View->Fit
by parts.
• Highlight the node in STAAD.Pro. Select “node” mode on the left side of STAAD.Pro post
processor. Select node in table, check which member is connected to this node and then use
guide “Find STAAD.Pro element in TS model”.
In STAAD.Pro, switch to “beam” mode, click the element in the table and the element is highlighted.
To avoid these problems, curved beams should be modelled using straight segments. In version 11.0,
a user defined attribute is used:
• Curved beam by straight segments is set to Yes
• No of split nodes is set if additional nodes are required (with larger curvature)
In version 10.2, in certain cases even setting these attribute values is not enough, the curvature must
be removed and curved beams split manually into several straight beams.
In version 11.1, curved beams are modelled using straight segments by default, using approximation
accuracy of 25 mm. In special cases these settings may be changed using the advanced options:
NOTE: To control the level of detail reported by STAAD.Pro in the design check, use design
parameter TRACK, either in analysis model properties (Design-Steel, Design-Concrete) or part
properties.
Note: The default values of buckling length are factor K = 1.0, length L = 0, in which case the actual
length in the design check is 1.0 * column length. This is generally much too conservative.
In above diagram indicates a three storey condition each with a 5 metre. The buckling length could be
specified as 1.2 * 5m = 6 m, in the case of a non-sway building condition.
Tekla Structures 11.2 also allows you to define buckling lengths for column segments, which represent
the building levels. Tekla Structures automatically divides columns into segments at the point where
there is a support in the buckling direction, or where the column profile changes.
NOTE: To control the level of detail reported by STAAD.Pro in the design check, use design
parameter TRACK, either in analysis model properties (Design-Steel, Design-Concrete) or part
properties.
Consider the following case, slab supported by columns, one lateral point load.
To use rigid diaphragm instead, the type of the slab is changed to rigid diaphragm.
All nodes within the rigid diaphragm are tied laterally, meaning their distances in XY-plane remain
unchanged, but the whole rigid diaphragm may rotate. The displacements of the nodes in Z direction
remain independent.
Rigid diaphragm can also be visualised in STAAD.Pro (right click on graphics window, select Labels...,
enable Show Master/Slave on Labels tab).
• Adjacent rigid diaphragms are merged since version 11.1. In previous versions, there could
only be one rigid diaphragm at each level of the building. If the floor was divided into several
slabs, they had to be ignored in the analysis and a separate slab, which covered the whole
floor, had to be inserted as a rigid diaphragm.
• Version 11.1 includes a new Rigid diaphragm filter. Only nodes which belong to a part
matching the filter will be connected. For example, you can use column_filter to only connect
column nodes to rigid diaphragms. Before version 11.1 there was no filter to select which
nodes are tied and which not.
• In very large models rigid diaphragms may increase the analysis time considerably (compared
to the case with no slabs or rigid diaphragms at all). In this case the rigid diaphragm effect can
be modelled using truss beam members, which tie all relevant nodes laterally, see the
diagram on the next page below.
Select contents of the report using tabs Items, Steel Design etc.
If only certain members are to be included, set filter on Ranges tab.
In case the node displacements table is not visible, use View->Tables to make it visible.
To change the displacement scale, right-click on the graphics area and select Labels...
In case tables Beam End Forces/Beam Force Detail are not visible, use View->Tables to make them
visible.
To change the displacement scale, right-click on the graphics area and select Labels...
To open the output file, use File->View->Output File->STAAD.Pro Output or use the tool button.
• Change the tolerance which is used in the member clash check. The default is 1 mm, this
could be changed to 30 mm for example, with no probable side-effects.
• Force connection at this specific location, using user defined attribute. The ID of the smaller
beam is inquired, and this ID is set as the value of Connect to for the larger beam. Several IDs
may be entered, separated by spaces.
To solve this: As a general principle, bracing members should have analysis type Truss. Truss
members are handled differently in the creation of the analysis model, usually producing better results.
Duplicate members
Problem: Error message about duplicate members
(in TS analysis log WARNING- MEMBERS MEMBER 5(Id: 151) AND MEMBER 4(Id: 146) BETWEEN
SAME JOINTS)
• There is a problem in the analysis model creation, which results in short overlapping members
(see case “Column skewed”)
This might be caused by an installation problem, especially if STAAD.Pro analysis dialog is not
displayed at all:
How to solve problem: Activate the analysis model. If no analysis model exists, one must be created
and made active.
To solve this problem: Make sure design check is enabled for steel and concrete respectively.
NOTE: Instability problems must always be fixed, as they can cause completely erroneous
calculation results.
Instability problems can also be checked in the STAAD.Pro output file (see “STAAD.Pro, view output
file”).
• Cantilever beam must not have pinned end, where it connects to other members
• If a member with pinned end conditions is split, there must not be any releases at the split
location for either split member.
• If member with pinned end conditions is split, torsional rotation must be suppressed at either
end, because suppression is not done automatically (it will be automatically done in case of
single member).
Typically this affects concrete slabs which often are not included as plate elements in the STAAD.Pro
model. In other words, they are not included in the analysis model at all, or their analysis type is Ignore
or Rigid diaphragm. In this case the self weight of the slab must be inserted manually as area load.
Update for version 11.1: There is an option to generate self weight loads automatically, whether the
slab is included in the analysis model or not.
The orientation of members can be displayed in STAAD.Pro, by right clicking on the graphics window
and selecting Labels...
Stability problems must always be checked and fixed, because they can cause completely erroneous
calculation results may be produced.
Note: In version 11.1 this can be handled, rigid links are inserted automatically if needed.
In case none of the options top/middle/bottom plane is suitable, analysis offset user defined attributes
can be used to modify the position of the slab in the analysis model.
Note: In version 11.1 this can be handled, rigid links are inserted automatically if needed.
The situation can be corrected by applying analysis offsets to the wall, using the user defined
attributes of the wall.
Note: Analysis offset user defined attributes can also be used for beams, to modify the position of the
beam in the analysis model.
• Short cantilever
o Workaround 1: Move beam to slab edge position (use analysis offset UDAs of beam)
o Workaround 2: Ignore slab in the analysis, replace with a smaller slab just for the
analysis.
This problem has been addressed in version 11.1: Default cantilever length is now set to 300 mm,
cantilevers shorter than this are removed from the analysis model. To change this limit, use the user-
defined attribute:
Other workarounds:
• Possibly slabs could be replaced by rigid diaphragms? (see “How to use rigid diaphragms”)
• Sometimes meshing at the connection between two slabs/walls is improved if the element
sizes are slightly modified either increased or decreased (100 mm steps for example).
The workaround is to insert, for example short columns, with a suitable spacing.
Connection can be disabled using the user defined attributes of the beam.