AxisVM 9

Step by Step
Tutorial

1
Contents
1. BEAM MODEL ........................................................................................................................................... 3
2. PLATE MODEL........................................................................................................................................ 47
3. MEMBRANE MODEL............................................................................................................................. 73
3.1. Preprocessing with surface elements........................................................................ 73
3.2. Preprocessing with domains..................................................................................... 82
4. SHELL MODEL........................................................................................................................................ 95

2
1. BEAM MODEL

Start Start AxisVM by double-clicking the AxisVM icon in the AxisVM folder,
found on the Desktop, or in the Start, Programs Menu.

New Create a new model with the New Icon. In the dialogue window that pops
up, replace the Model Filename with “Beam”.

Select the Design Code. Click OK to close the dialog window.

Objective The objective of the analysis is to determine the internal forces, longitudinal
reinforcement and vertical stirrups in the three way supported, reinforced
concrete beams illustrated below. The loads on the beams will be presented
subsequently.

The analysis will be done according to the Eurocode. The cross-section of the
beam is will be a 400mm x 600mm rectangle. The left beam is 12m in length
and the right beam is 10m.

Coordinate In the lower left corner of the graphics area is the global coordinate system
System symbol. The positive direction is marked by the corresponding capital letter
(X, Y, Z). The default coordinate system of a new model is the X-Z
coordinate system. It is important to note that unless changed the gravity acts
along the –Z direction.

In a new model, the global coordinate default location of the cursor is the
bottom left corner of the graphic area, and is set to X=0, Y=0, Z=0.

You can change to the relative coordinate values by pressing the ‘d’ labeled
button on the left of the Coordinate Window. ( Hint : In the right column of
the coordinate window you can specify points in cylindrical or spherical
coordinate systems). The origin of the relative coordinate system is marked by
a thick blue X.

3
Geometry The first step is to create the geometry of structure.
Select the Geometry tab to bring up the Geometry Toolbar.

Line Hold down the left mouse button while the cursor is on Line Tool Icon brings
up the Line Icons Selection Menu:

Polygon Lets click on the Polygon icon, which is the second from left to specify the
axis of the two beams. When the Polygon is chosen, the Relative coordinate
system automatically changes to the local system (‘d’ prefix)

The polygon coordinates can be drawn with the mouse, or by typing in their
numerical values. Set the first point ( node) of the line by typing in these
entries:
X=0
Y=0
Z=0
Finish specifying the first line point by pressing Enter. The first node of the
beam model is now also the global coordinates origin point.

Relative To enter the next two nodes for our beam model type in the following
Coordinate sequence:
System
X=12
Y=0
Z=0, Enter
X=10
Y=0
Z=0, Enter

Press ESC twice to exit from polygon drawing function.

Zoom To bring up the Zoom Icon Bar, move the mouse on the Zoom Icon in the
left side of the desktop window. It contains six icons. Lets choose the third
icon (Zoom to fit) from the Zoom Icon Bar, or press Ctrl-W, which has the
same effect. An alternative way of zooming is to press the + or – keys on your
numerical keypad.

The following picture appears:

4
Geometry Click the Geometry Check Icon on the top of the desktop, to check for
Check geometric ambiguities. The program will ask for the maximum tolerance
(distance) for merging points.

After the geometry check a summary of actions appears.

Elements The next step is to specify the finite elements. Click on the Elements tab to
bring up the Finite Elements Toolbar.

Line Elements Press the Line Elements Icon,

then on the appearing selection icon bar use the asterisk (All) command, then
click OK. The Line Elements dialog window appears. Select Define or
Modify if you are correcting an earlier parameter.

5
Material Press the Material Library Import icon to select the material.
Library Import

In the dialog window that appears select Concrete C25/30 in the Materials
column, then click OK.

New Cross Click on the New Cross Section Icon (the rightmost in the sections line) to
Section create a new cross-section.

6
Rectangle Define a rectangular cross section by clicking on the Rectangular Icon.

Modify the offered height (h) to 600 [mm]. Click the Place Button to select
the new cross-section. You should see something similar with the following
picture.

Finish the cross-section definition by clicking on the Ok button.

Enter a name for the newly created cross-section. Type in 400x600, and then
press OK.

Leaving the Local x Reference on Auto, the orientation of the local x axis of
the beam will be along the x axis of the element, and the local z axis will be in
a vertical plane passing through the x axis.

7
Perspective Lets check the structure in space! Click the Perspective Icon in the left side
of the application. You can pan or rotate the structure using the mouse.

By closing the floating window the last view remains on the screen.

Display The local systems, the node numbering and other useful graphical symbols
Options can be switched on/off by clicking the Display Options Icon in the left side of
the application. (Hint: the same dialog window can be displayed by selecting
the Display Options item after a right click in the Graphics Area). Check the
Beam box in the Symbols/Local Systems panel, then select the Labels tab to
check the Cross-Section Name box.
Exit from the dialog window with OK. The local system of the beams and the
name of the cross-sections will be displayed. Move the cursor on the axis of
the beam to bring up an info label showing relevant information about the
beam.

Because the Elements tab is selected, the tag number, length, material name,
cross-section name, self-weight and local reference of the beam is displayed:

Finally switch from perspective view to Z-X plane.

Zoom to Fit In order to have a good overview, use the Zoom To Fit command.

Nodal Support Click the Nodal Support Icon and select the middle support. A dialog
window appears, where you can set the translational and/or rotational stiffness
of the node. Select the global direction, and specify the stiffness values.
The first three entries are for the translational stiffness, measured in [kN/m].
The default value is 1e+10 [kN/m], meaning a full restriction of the
translation, while the value 0 [kN/m] would mean a free translation.
8
The next three entries are for the rotational stiffness, measured in [kN/rad].
The default value of 1e+10 [kN/rad] means a fully restricted rotation, while
the value 0 [kN/rad] means a free rotation. Set all rotational stiffness to zero,
and restrict the translation along X and Z direction. Use the settings in the
following box:

Finish the support definition with OK

Select the two exterior supports and make them horizontally free (X, Y axis)
supports in a similar way:

On the screen, restricted translations are shown as yellow stripes, restricted

rotations as orange stripes to their rotational axis.

9
Nodal DOF Click the Nodal DOF (Degrees of Freedom) Icon, and select all nodes with
the All command. In the Nodal Degrees of Freedom dialog window select
‘Frame in Plane X-Z’ from the predefined settings. After closing this window
with OK, all the nodes will change their color to blue.

This setting selects the nodes of the beams only in translation in plane X-Z
with the rotation around the Y-axis.

Loads The next step is to apply the loads.

Click the Loads tab.

Load Cases It is useful to separate the loads into load cases. Click the Load Cases Icon to
create the load cases. The following dialog window appears.

10
 In the left tree view you can see the first load case, created automatically by
the program. Its name is ST1. Click on the ST1 to change the name of the
load case, and overwrite it with SELF-WEIGHT. Click OK to return to the
graphics area. The active load case will be SELF-WEIGHT. You can see it on
the Info Window.

Display In the Display Options window select the cross-section name under the
Options Labels tab, and the cross-section shape and local system under the Symbols
tab, leaving the rest of the default settings.

Self Weight Click the Self-Weight Icon, and select all elements with the All command.
When the selection is finished by pressing Ok, two blue dotted lines will
show near the beams axis that their dead load is placed on them (It will act by
default along the –Z direction, with the gravitational acceleration taken as
g=9.81 m/s2).

Load Click the Load Cases Icon again, and create three more load cases by
Cases/Groups clicking repeatedly the Static Button in the New Case panel. Name them
VARIABLE1, VARIABLE2 and SUPPORT DISPLACEMENT. Make
VARIABLE1 the active load case by clicking on it, and press OK.

Line Load Click the Line Load Icon and select the left beam. After finishing the
selection with Ok the following dialog window appears:

As the load intensity type -17.5 in the pz1, pz2 edit boxes, then press Ok.

11
Load Click on the downward pointing triangle on the right of the Load Cases
Cases/Groups Icon and the following menu will pop up.

It shows all load cases, a black dot marking the active one. Click on
VARIABLE2 to make it the active load case.
Apply on both beams a -17.5 kN/m uniform linear load acting in Z direction
in the same way as before.

Forced Support Finally select the SUPPORT DISPLACEMENT load case. Click the
Displacement Forced Support Displacement Icon, select the middle support and press Ok.
This brings up the following dialog window.

Type in 20 [mm] in the ez edit box.

Load Click the Load Combination Icon, which will open the Table Browser.
Combination

New Load Click the New Icon to create an empty load combination. You must specify a
Case combination factor for each load case. For now type in the following factors
(press enter after input into each cell)
Selfweight- 1.2
Variable1- 1.4
Variable2- 0
Support displacements- 1.0

12
 Make another load combination, this time with the following factors:
Selfweight – 1.2
Variable1- 0
Variable2- 1.40
Support Displacement- 1.0

Finish the creation of load combinations by pressing Ok.

Static The next step is the analysis and post processing.

Linear Click the Static tab, then the Linear Icon to start the analysis.
Analysis

If the application prompts for saving, save the model on a local hard disk.
After saving, the analysis will start.

Analysis

Click the Details button to view the details of calculation.

Static When the analysis has finished, press Ok. By default the postprocessor will
start with the ez displacement of the first load case, which is now SELF-
WEIGHT. The display mode will be iso surfaces. You will see the
displacements from the dead load in global Z direction.

13
Result Display Click the Result Display Parameters Icon and set the parameters
Parameters according to the picture below.

In the Case Selector combo box select the SELF-WEIGHT load case. If you
leave the Undeformed radio button checked in the Display Shape panel, then
the various results will be drawn on the undeformed shape of the structure. In
the Component combo box select ez from displacements. Set the Display
Mode to diagram. In the Write Values To Panel check Nodes and Lines.
Close the dialog window with Ok. You should see the following picture:

Check the displacement diagrams of various load cases whether they comply
with the expected result. To do this, click on the combo box next to the
Result Display Parameters Icon, and select desired load case. This time select
the first load combination (Co. #1).

14
Min, Max Click on the Min-Max Value Icon to obtain the location and value of the
Value maximum and minimum displacements. The following dialog window
appears:

Select the eZ displacement component, and press OK. The location and
value of the negative maximum displacement pops up in a window. Pressing
OK closes it, and the positive maximum displacement window pops up. Press
OK to close it too.

The various internal force and stress results can be selected through the
second combo box. First view the My bending moment in the first and
second load case (Co#1, Co#2), which is accessible by clicking on the Beam
Internal Forces.

15
R.C. Design Click the R.C. Design tab to find out the area of longitudinal reinforcement
and vertical stirrups.

Beam Click the Beam Reinforcement Design Icon, then select all beams with the
Reinforcement All command (the asterisk), then press Ok. The following window appears.
Design

The topmost diagram is the statical layout of the beam, below it is the My
moment diagram and the Qz shear force diagram.

Beam In the Beam Reinforcement Window, Click the Beam parameters Icon to
Parameters set the properties of the beam. It brings up the following dialog window:

16
Set the longitudinal rebar and stirrup material property to B500A.

Close the dialog window with Ok and the following window will appear:

Note that alongside the original My moment diagram (thin line), the diagram
shifted according to code (thick line) is also present.
Below the My moment diagram is the As diagram, below the Qz diagram is
the s diagram.
‘As’ is the area of the necessary longitudinal reinforcement of the beam, while
‘s’ is the required maximal distance of the stirrups. The longitudinal
reinforcement in tension is shown in blue, the compressed in red. The area
342 mm2 on the ‘As’ diagram is the minimum area of the tensioned
longitudinal reinforcement, while the value 228 mm on the ‘s’ diagram is the
maximum stirrup distance.

Click Ok to close this reinforcement window.

17
2. FRAME MODEL

Start Start AxisVM by double-clicking the AxisVM icon in the AxisVM folder,
found on the Desktop, or in the Start, Programs Menu.

New Create a new model with the New Icon. In the dialog window that pops up,
replace the Model Filename with “Frame”, and in the Design Code panel
select Eurocode.

Objective The objective of the analysis is to determine the internal forces of the
following frame, and to verify column A1.

Lets use for cross-section of horizontal elements I360, for vertical ones I400,
and for inclined ones O 190.0x5.0 SV. The material of the structure is Steel
FE 360, and the design verification will be according to Eurocode-3.

By default the Z-axis of the global coordinate system points upward. It has
relevance for the direction of gravity, this will be detailed later.

18
Coordinate In the lower left corner of the graphics area is the global coordinate system
System symbol. The positive direction is marked by the corresponding capital letter
(X, Y, Z). The default coordinate system of a new model is the X-Z coordinate
system. It is important to note that unless changed the gravity acts along the –
Z direction.

In a new model, the global coordinate default location of the cursor is the
bottom left corner of the graphic area, and is set to X=0, Y=0, Z=0.

You can change to the relative coordinate values by pressing the ‘d’ labeled
button on the left of the Coordinate Window. (Hint: In the right column of the
coordinate window you can specify points in cylindrical or spherical
coordinate systems). The origin of the relative coordinate system is marked by
a thick blue X.

The first step is to create the geometry of the structure.

Geometry Click the Geometry tab, below the menu bar. The Geometry Toolbar appears
below the tabs. The geometry of the structure will be created with the Line
Tool.

Line Hold down the left mouse button while the cursor is on the Line Tool Icon
will bring up the following Line Type icon bar:

Polygon Lets click on the Polygon icon, which is the second from left. When the
Polygon is chosen, the Relative coordinate system automatically changes to
the local system (‘d’ prefix)

The polygon coordinates for the frame model can be drawn with the mouse, or
by typing in their numerical values.

Set the first point (node) of the line by typing in these entries:
X=0
Y=0
Z=0
Finish specifying the first line point by pressing Enter. The first node of the
frame model is now also the global coordinates origin point.

19
 To enter the first line (node) of the frame model, enter the following values:
X=0
Y=0
Z=3.5, Enter

To define the second line of the frame model, enter the following values:
X=6
Y=0
Z=0, Enter

To define the third line of the frame model, enter the following values:
X=0
Y=0
Z=-3.5, Enter (Note: Negative value)

Exit from the Polygon command by pressing Esc twice.

The following picture is obtained:

Translate Copy the structure vertically upward with the Translate Icon. For this click
the Translate Icon, select the horizontal line and finish the selection with
Enter. In the Translate dialog window select Spread by Distance, in the ‘d
[m]=’ edit box type 3.5, and in the Nodes To Connect panel select All.

Close the dialog window with Ok, then click on an arbitrary place in the
graphics area and draw upward a vertical line, which is longer than 3.5 m.
20
The following picture is obtained:

21
Coordinate Switch to Z-Y plane.
System You should see this picture:

Translate Select the Translate Icon so you can Copy this part of the model geometry
structure. In the Selection Icon bar use the All command (the asterisk). The
selected elements color will change:

Finishing the selection with Ok, in the dialog window select the Consecutive
method, then in the Nodes to Connect panel select the Double Selected
option.

22
Close this dialog window with Ok. Now you must select the nodes to connect.
Use a selection window according to the picture below on the left. The picture
on the right shows the result of your selection:

Specify the first displacement vector by entering the following values:

X=0
Y=5
Z=0, enter.
Enter the second vector:
X=0
Y=5
Z=0, enter.
Enter the third vector:
X=0
Y=5
Z=0, enter.

Esc twice to exit from the command. The following picture will be seen:

23
Coordinate Switch to perspective View. The colums should be on the vertical Z-axis. Use
System the pan function as needed to bring the model to this perspective.

When you close the dialog bar this settings will remain active.

24
Polygon Click the Polygon Icon. Draw a segment from the bottom of A1 column to
the middle of the beam in Y direction:

Continue with a segment to the bottom of the middle column:

Press Esc twice to exit from the command.

25
Translate Click the Translate Icon, select the two inclined bars then finish the
selection with Ok. In the dialog window select the Consecutive method, and
set the Nodes to Connect to None. After closing the dialog window with Ok,
click on the bottom node of the A1 column, then on the middle node of the
A1 column. This will copy the two inclined bars to the upper story. Copy the
bars on the other side of the structure as well. To exit from translate press
Esc. The following picture appears:

Geometry Check the geometry of the structure with the Geometry Check Icon, which is
Check toward the end of Geometry Toolbar:

In the dialog window you can set the maximum tolerance for merging nodes,
and you can specify whether to search or not for unattached nodes or lines.

When the check is finished a summary will appear.

26
Elements The next step is to create the finite elements. For this click on the Elements
tab.

Line Elements To create the finite elements for beams or columns use the Line Elements
Icon. To define the materials for the Columns, Click the icon, then select the
the vertical lines ( all columns) by clicking them or by selection windows as
in the picture.

Finish the selection with Ok, and the following dialog window appears:

27
Material Click the Browse Material Library Icon in the row labeled Material.
Library The following dialog window appears:
Import

Select Steel Fe360 as the active material.

Cross-Section Click Cross-Section Library Import Icon. The following dialog window
Library Import appears :

Select from the Cross-Section Tables I Hungarian Beams, then from the
Cross-Section List I-400. Close the dialog window with Ok.

The default value for the Local z Reference is Auto. This means that local x
reference of the beam will be along the axis of the element, while local z
reference will be parallel with global Z.
Finish the creation of column (beam) elements with Ok.
Define the material for the horizontal beams in a similar way, but use I-360
for their cross-section.
Next, define the material for the diagonal braces and use Hungarian Pipes
O194.0 x 5.0 SV as cross-section.

28
Zoom to Fit For a better overlook let’s click the Zoom to Fit Icon on the Zoom Icon bar.

The following picture appears:

29
Nodal Support Click the Nodal Support Icon, select all 6 column’s bottom node and finish
the selection with Ok. The following dialog window appears:

In this dialog window you can set the node support conditions. Let’s assume
pinned supports in all these nodes, so set the rotational stiffness Rxx, Ryy,
Rzz to 0.

Finish the creation of nodal supports with Ok, and the support symbols will
appear.

30
Loads The next step is to apply the loads. Click the Loads tab.

Load Cases & It is useful to separate the loads into load cases. Click the Load Cases & Load
Load Groups Groups Icon to create the load cases. The following dialog window appears:

Click on the ST1 (the first static load case) in the upper left corner, and
rename it to VARIABLE1. Close the dialog window with Ok, and
VARIABLE1 will be the current load case. You can see in the Info Window
the name of the current load case:

31
Line Load Let’s apply loads on the horizontal beams. Apply on the lower beams 50
kN/m, on the upper beams 25 kN/m. For this click the Line Load Icon, then
select the upper beams with a selection window.

Finish the selection with Ok, and the following dialog window appears:

Type -25 in the pz1, pz2 edit boxes, then close the dialog window with Ok.
The following picture appears:

32
Display Click the Display Options Icon in the Icons Menu. The following dialog
Options window appears:
Select the Labels tab, then check the Load Value box:

Close the dialog window with Ok, and the load values will appear in the
graphics area.

33
Line Load Click the Line Load Icon, and select the lower horizontal beams:

Finish the selection with Ok, then type -50 in the pz1, pz2 edit boxes. Close
the dialog window with Ok and the following picture results:

Load Cases & Click the Load Cases & Load Groups Icon.
Load Groups

New Load In the New Case panel click the Static Icon and name the load case WIND.
Case Static Close the dialog window with OK. All previous loads ’disappeared’, and the
current load case’s name in the Info Window is WIND.

34
Coordinate Switch to Y-X plane (top view). The following picture appears:
System

Line Load Click the Line Load Icon, and define on the upper left columns a load of
intensity 6 kN/m in x direction. From the top view select the upper left node
with a selection windows (thus selecting everything inside the selection
window, including the two columns). Finish the selection with Ok, then type a
load intensity value of 6 in px1, px2 edit boxes and close the dialog window.
Repeat the above step for the bottom left node. Repeat the above step for
the middle left column, except type a load intensity value of 12.

Coordinate Switch to Perspective View. The following picture appears:

System

35
Load Let’s create a load combination. Click the Load Combinations Icon, and the
Combinations Table Browser will appear.

New Row Use the New Row Icon to add a new load combination. You have to specify a
factor for each load case in a load combination. Let’s assume the following
factors. Type in these factors in their columns:
VARIABLE1 1.2, Enter
WIND 1.2, Enter

Accept the new load combination(s) by closing the Table Browser with Ok.

Now the preprocessing part of the example is finished.

Display Click the Display Options Icon, and uncheck the Node, Cross-Section
Options Shape, Load boxes in the Symbols tab, andthe Load Value box in the Labels
tab.

Static The next step is the analysis and post processing. Click the Static tab. Here
you can start the analysis and visualize the results.

Linear Static Click on the Linear Static Analysis Icon.

Analysis

A Model Save Dialog will appear if you haven’t already assigned a name for
the model. Accept save and a Save dialog window appears, where you can
specify the model filename and path.

36
 During the analysis the following window appears:

Details If you click the details button to view details of computation, the topmost
label shows the current computation step, the upper bar shows its progress.
The lower bar shows the global progress of computation. The estimated
memory requirement shows the estimated virtual memory demand. If the
virtual memory of the computer is set to a lower value, an error message will
appear. When the computation has finished, the two progress bars will
disappear. Close the window with Ok.

Static By default the postprocessor will start with the ez displacement of the first
load case, which is now VARIABLE1. The display mode will be iso surface.
Change to isoline display. You will see the displacements from the
VARIABLE1 load case in global Z direction. To view the results from the
load combination select Co. #1 in the Case Selector combo box.

Switch from Isoline to Diagram by Clicking the Result Display Parameters

Icon and select Diagram in the Display Mode menu box:

37
Coordinate Switch to Z-X plane. The following picture appears.
System

Parts Click the Parts Icon on the left Icons Menu. The following dialog window
appears.

Click the New Button, which brings up a window where you can specify the
name of the part.

Type in 1 and close this window with Ok.

You have to select the entities which will make up the part named 1. Select the
right columns with a selection window according to the following picture.

38
 Finish the selection with Ok. The dialog window will reappear as in the
picture below.

Close the dialog window with Ok, and part 1 will be accepted.

Coordinate Switch to Z-Y plane.

System

39
Result Display Click the Result Display Parameters Icon, and check Nodes and Lines in
Parameters the Write Values to box.

Click OK to close the dialog window, and the following picture appears.

Min/Max Click the Minimum and Maximum Values Icon to find out the location of
Values maximum displacement. The following dialog box will appear:

Here you can select one displacement component. Leave it on ez and click
Ok. First the location and value of the negative minimum displacement
appears.

40
Click Ok, and the location and value of positive maximum displacement will
appear.

Select from the Result Component combo box Nx from the Beam Internal
Forces. Click the Result Display Parameters Icon, Change display to
section line.

41
The Nx force diagram will appear.

View the My moment diagram in a similar way.

Now view the Rz Nodal Support Internal Force diagram.

42
Steel Design Click the Steel Design tab to start the checking of column A1.

Design Click the Design Parameters Icon, then select column A1 and finish the
Parameters selection with Ok. The following dialog window appears:

Overwrite Kyy with 1.25, and then close the dialog window with Ok.

Axial Force- Let’s view the N-M-V diagram.

Bending-Shear

43
 The following picture appears:

Buckling Now view the N-M-Flx Buckling diagram:

Choose the efficiency diagram. The following picture appears:

If you click column A1 then all of its checks will appear.

44
Click Ok to close this window.

45
46
2. PLATE MODEL
Start Start AxisVM by double-clicking the AxisVM icon in the AxisVM folder,
found on the Desktop, or in the Start, Programs Menu.
New Create a new model with the New Icon. In the dialog window that pops up,
replace the Model Filename with “Frame”, and in the Design Code panel
select Eurocode.

Objective The objective of the analysis is to determine the maximum deflection, bending
moments and required reinforcement of the following plate.

Lets suppose the plate thickness is 20 cm, the concrete is of C20/25, and the
reinforcement is computed according to Eurocode-2.
The first step is to create the geometry of structure.

Coordinate In the lower left corner of the graphics area is the global coordinate system
System symbol. The positive direction is marked by the corresponding capital letter
(X, Y, Z). The default coordinate system of a new model is the X-Z
coordinate system. It is important to note that unless changed the gravity acts
along the –Z direction.
In a new model, the global coordinate default location of the cursor is the
bottom left corner of the graphic area, and is set to X=0, Y=0, Z=0.
The location of the cursor is defined as a relative coordinate. You can change
to the relative coordinate values by pressing the ‘d’ labeled button on the left
of the Coordinate Window. (Hint: In the right column of the coordinate
window you can specify points in cylindrical or spherical coordinate systems).
The origin of the relative coordinate system is marked by a thick blue X.
47
Geometry If not already selected, activate the Geometry tab. Under it appears the
Geometry Toolbar.

View Click the Y-X view from the View Icon Bar.

Line Create the geometry of plate using the Rectangle command. Holding down
the left mouse button on the Line Icon can access it.

Note: When the a line type is chosen, the Relative coordinate system
automatically changes to the local system (‘d’ prefix)

Rectangle The corners of the rectangle can be specified graphically or by entering the
coordinates. Lets enter them with coordinates:

Set the first corner (node) of the rectangle by typing in these entries:
X=0
Y=0
Z=0
Finish specifying the first corner point by pressing Enter. The first node of
the plate model is now also the global coordinates origin point.

Relative Lets specify the relative coordinates of the next corner. Type in the following
Coordinates sequence of keys:
X=8.4
Y=6.8
Z=0
Finish specifying the second corner point by pressing Enter. (Note: If the
decimal separator on the computer is set to comma, then instead of the ‘dot’
you have to uses the comma.)

48
 The following picture appears:

Lets move the relative origin to the lower left corner of the rectangle. For this
move the cursor over the lower left node and left Click.

Exit from rectangle line command by pressing Esc.

Node Icon Click the Node Icon, then type in the following sequence:
X=6.4
Y=2.2, Enter
X=0
Y=2.4, Enter

These nodes have added columns to support the plate. Exit from the Node
command with Esc.

Elements The next step is to define the finite elements. Click the Elements tab.

Domain Click the Domain Icon, then click on one line and the whole rectangle will
be selected. Finish the selection with Ok, and the following dialog window
appears.

49
Material Click the Material Library Import Icon in the row of Material, and the
Library Import following dialog window appears:

Choose C20/25 from Materials List Box, using the scroll bar if necessary.
Close the Material Library Import dialog window with Ok.

Thickness Type in the thickness combo box the value 200 [mm], then close the dialog
window with Ok. The following picture appears:
Note the red line on the inner contour of the domain

This is the symbol of a (plate) domain. If you move the mouse on this
contour, the properties of the domain will appear in a hint window.

Zoom to Fit For a better view let’s click the Zoom to Fit Icon on the Zoom Icon bar.

50
Domain Click the Domain Meshing Icon. Use the select All command (the asterisk)
Meshing and finish the selection with OK. The following dialog window appears:

Type in the Average Mesh Element Size edit box the value 0.66 [m], then
press Ok. An automatic mesh generation will start. Its progress is showed in
the following window.

When the mesh generation finishes, the following picture appears:

The surface element symbol is a solid red square in the center of the element.
If you move the cursor over it, the properties of the element appear in an info
window.

51
Refinement Let's refine the mesh around the two nodal supports. Depress the left mouse
button over the Refinement Icon, and click the Refinement by BiSection
Icon that appears.

Uniform Select the surface elements around the nodal supports with a selection box,
Refinement according to the picture below:

Finish the selection with Ok and accept the offered Maximum Side Length.
The result of the refinement is shown in the following picture:

52
Display Let's view the local coordinate system of the surface elements. Click the
Options Display Options Icon in the Icons Menu (left side).

Activate the Symbols tab, then on the Local System Panel check the
Surface box.

Close the dialog window with Ok.

A red line shows the local -x direction, a yellow line the local -y direction and
a green line the local -z direction:

Display Select Display Options Icon to switch off the Surface box on the Local
Options System panel.

53
Nodal Support Let's specify the supports of the structure. Click on the Nodal Support
command then select the two nodes in the center of the columns and finish the
selection with Ok. The Nodal Support Window appears.

Calculations Click the Calculations button. The following dialog window appears:

In this dialog window you can specify the support stiffness for the column
type support.

54
New Cross Click the New Cross Section Icon. The following dialog window appears:
Section

Rectangle Click the Rectangular Shape Icon. The following dialog window appears:
Shape

Type 300 [mm] in the upper two edit boxes, as the dimensions of cross
section, and click Place. Click in the Cross Section Editor Drawing Area to
place the rectangle. The location where the rectangle is placed is unimportant.

55
A following picture appears:

Close the Cross Section Editor with Ok. A dialog window asks for the name
of the new cross-section.

Type in 300x300, then close the dialog window with Ok. The Global Node
Support Calculation dialog window’s stiffness values will take into account
this cross-section's properties. Accepting the remaining settings click Ok. The
stiffness values displayed in the Global Node Support Calculation dialog
window will be copied in the Nodal Support dialog window. Close the dialog
window with Ok, and the two supports are created.

56
 The following picture appears:

Line Support Let's create the line supports on the contour of the domain. Click the Line
Support Icon, and select the four contour lines of the domain. They represent
walls on the edges of the plate.

Finish the selection with Ok, and the following dialog window appears.

57
Calculation Click the Calculation button. Here you can calculate the line support
stiffness due to a wall support. Type in the thickness of wall edit box 300
[mm]. You can see that the height of the wall is 3.0m, and the wall stiffness is
also shwon in this dialog box.

Depress both the upper and lower End Release Icons. Close with Ok the
dialog windows.

Nodal DOF Click the Nodal DOF Icon. Select all nodes with the All command (the
asterisk), then finish the selection with Ok. In the Nodal Degrees Of Freedom
dialog box select Plate in X-Y from the list.

Accepting this will constrain the degree of freedom to vertical displacements

and rotations about axes in the plane of the plate.

58
Loads The next step is to apply the loads. Click the Loads tab.

Load Cases & It is useful to group the loads into load cases. To manage the load cases click
Load Groups the Load Cases & Load Groups Icon. The following dialog window
appears:

ST1 in the upper left corner of the window is the first load case (created by
default). Click it and rename it to Self-Weight. Closing the dialog window it
will be the active load case. It can be seen on the Info Window:

Self Weight Click the Self Weight Icon, and select all elements with the All command.
Finish the selection with Ok, and the self-weight load will be applied to all
elements. This can be seen by the red dashed lines on the contour of elements.

New Load Click the Load Cases & Load Groups Icon again, and create a new load
Case case with the Static Icon. Name it Permanent Load. This load case contains
the dead loads on the plate. Let's assume it is 2.5 kN/m2 distributed load.

59
Distributed Click the Distributed Surface Load Icon and select all elements with the
Surface Load All command. Finish the selection and type in the -pz input box the value -2.5
kN/m2. The negative value means a load acting in opposite direction to the
local z-axis of the surface element. This is a load on the surfaces of the plate.

New Load Create a new load case and name it Live Load. It will contain the variable
Case loads. Click the Distributed Surface Load Icon and select all elements with
the All command. Finish the selection and type in
-pz=-1.5 kN/m2.

Load Now, that all loads have been applied to the structure, the load combinations
Combinations can be created. There will be only one load combination, containing all load
cases. Click the Load Combinations Icon. The following dialog window
appears:

New Row Create a new load combination by using the New Row command. You can
apply load factors to load cases by using a load combination. In this example
the factors of the Eurocode2 will be used:
Self Weight 1.35
Dead Load 1.35
Variable 1.50
Type in these values in their columns. You can move to the next column by
pressing Enter. When finished press Ok, and the new load combination is
created.
Now all the model data is available for the analysis.

60
Static The next step is the analysis and postprocessing. Click the Static tab. Here
you can start the static analysis and visualize the results.

Linear Static Click the Linear Static Analysis Icon. If till this point the model wasn't
Analysis saved, the program will ask to save. Accept Save, and a Save dialog window
appears, where you can specify the model file name and path.
The analysis process will start.

During the analysis the following window appears:

If you click the details button, the topmost bar shows the progress of the
current computation step. The bar below it shows the global analysis progress.
The estimated memory requirement is the amount of virtual memory that must
be available. If the size of the operating systems virtual memory is limited to a
lower value, an error message will appear, showing the required virtual
memory. When the analysis has finished, the progress bars will disappear.

Static Closing the Linear Analysis window with Ok the postprocessor will start by
default with the first load case (Self-Weight in this case), the result component
is ez displacement and the display mode is isosurface 2D. This shows the
vertical displacements from the first load case.

Click the Case Selector combo box, and select Co.#1 to view the results from
the load combination.

The Color Legend Window shows that the displacements are negative,
because they are in an opposite direction with the local z-axis of the elements.
This is the top view of a surface load.

Display Click the Display Options Icon on the Icons Menu in the left side. Under the
Options Symbols tab, in the Graphics Symbols Panel switch off the Load and
Surface Center options.

61
Min/Max Let’s find the maximal displacements. Click the Min, Max Values Icon. The
Values following dialog window appears:

Here you can select the displacement component extremities. Accept ez, and a
window pops up, showing the location and value of maximum negative
displacement

Click Ok, and another window pops up, showing the location and value of
maximum positive displacement.

62
Color Legend The Color Legend Window shows the color ranges. You can change the
number of colors by dragging the handle beside the level number edit box or
entering a new value.

Let’s find the ranges with a displacement larger than 10 mm. Click on the
values in the Color Legend Window. In the Color Legend Setup dialog
window check Auto Interpolate, then click on the bottom value in the left
column, and replace -11.4 with -10.

Close the dialog window with OK, and the new ranges will be applied.

63
 The ranges with a displacement larger than 10 mm are shown by the inclined
hatching.

Display Mode Let's view the displacement in isoline display mode too. Click the Display
Mode combo box (the one which is displaying Isosurface 2D), and select
Isoline from the list.

The following picture appears:

Perspective Let's view the results in perspective. Click the Perspective View Icon from
View the View Icon Bar.

Accept the perspective display values in the dialog window by closing it with
Close Icon.

64
Result Display Click the Result Display Parameters Icon to view the deformed shape. In
Parameters the Display Shape Panel select Deformed. When the dialog window is closed
the deformed shape of the structure is shown.

Rendered Click the Rendered Icon in the Display Mode Icon Bar, and the deformed
shape of the structure will be rendered.

Click the Wireframe Icon and return to the Isoline display mode.
Let's switch to X-Y Plane.

After studying the deformed shape let’s look at the internal forces. Click the
Result Component combo box (the one which displays ez), and the
following list appears:

65
 Open the Surface Internal Forces by clicking on it, then select mx. The
isoline display of the mx internal moments appears on the screen. This is the
moment that is taken by the reinforcement in the -x direction. The my, mxy
internal moments and the qxz, qyz shear forces can be viewed in a similar
way.
Open in the Result Component combo box the Nodal Support Internal
Forces, and select Rz. This way you will be able to see the compressive force
acting on the columns.

Result Display For this click the Result Display Parameters Icon.
Parameters The following dialog window appears:

In the Write Values To Panel check the Nodes box, and uncheck the Min,
Max. only. Close the dialog window with Ok and the value of the axial forces
in the columns appears near the nodes.

The reactions from the line supports can be viewed in a similar way. In Result
Display Parameters check only Lines in the Write Values to Panel. Select
Line Support Internal Forces and value Rz.

66
R.C. Design Let's switch to R.C. Design tab.

Here the reinforcement areas from the internal forces can be obtained.

Reinforcement Click the Reinforcement Parameters Icon, and select all surface elements
Parameters with the All command. Finish the selection with Ok, and the following dialog
windows appear:

67
 The characteristics of the concrete are already known from the creation of
domain. Select B500B for the type of the reinforcement:

Type in 1.5 for the depth of concrete cover in -x direction, and 2.5 for the -y
direction.

When the dialog window is closed, the axb diagram appears, which is the
isosurface diagram of the bottom steel area in -x direction. In the Result
Component combo box you can select the top or bottom -x or -y direction of
the steel reinforcement.

By changing the number of levels and the top and bottom values in the Color
Legend Window, it is easy to see variations in the required reinforcement
needed.
In this case let's study the reinforcement at the top in -x direction. Switch to –
axt in the Result Component combo box.

Min/Max Find the maximal amount of steel reinforcement using the Min, Max. Values
Values command. Clicking on its icon the following dialog window appears:

Continue with Ok, and a dialog window appears with the location and area of
maximum reinforcement.

Let's use as minimal reinforcement (0.3%) fi12/18, whose area is 628 mm2/m,
and for actual reinforcement fi12/9, whose area is 1257 mm2/m.

68
It can be seen that the area for actual reinforcement is greater than the
maximum area of calculated reinforcement, so it can be applied over the
whole plate.
To separate reinforcement regions set the number of levels to 3 in the Color
Legend Window.

Activate the Color Legend Setup by clicking on a value, then type 1257 in
the top row, 628 under it and 0 in the last row.

The regions that require the minimum or maximum reinforcement are

displayed.

It can be seen that in the middle region of the plate no top reinforcement in -x
direction is required from calculation, near the edges the minimal
reinforcement is enough and in the area around the columns, the maximum
reinforcement is required.

69
 To view the reinforcement needed in the area around the columns Click the
Static tab. In Result Component combo box select Surface Internal Forces
and click on -mxy. Set the display to Isosurface. .

Section Lines Click the Section Lines Icon on the Left Icon Bar.

Click the New Section Plane button, and name the section plane Column1
in the dialog window that appears:

Accept the name and specify the section plane on the drawing.

Select one of the column support nodes, then the other column support
node.

70
 The following dialog window returns:

Accept it with Ok. The display should be set to the Section Line.

Coordinate Switch to Z-Y plane, Select Surface Internal Forces –m1 and the moment
System diagram section across the columns is obtained.

Let's switch off the display of section. Click the Section Lines Icon uncheck
the box before Column1 and close the dialog window with Ok.

71
Result Display Click the Result Display Parameter Icon, and uncheck the boxes in the
Parameters Write Values To panel.

Switch to perspective view, then set the display mode to Isosurface 3d. The
Color Legend window should be set to –10 max value.

The following picture appears, which shows the internal moments in the -x
direction.

72
3. MEMBRANE MODEL
3.1. Preprocessing with surface elements

Start Start AxisVM by double-clicking the AxisVM icon in the AxisVM folder,
found on the Desktop, or in the Start, Programs Menu.

New Create a new model with the New Icon. In the dialog window that pops up,
replace the Model Filename with “Membrane 1”. Select the Design Code.
Click Ok.

Objective The objective of the analysis is to determine the internal forces and
reinforcements of the following wall structure.

Assume the wall thickness is 200 mm, the concrete is of C20/25, and the
reinforcement is B500A computed according to Eurocode-2.

The first step is to create the geometry of structure.

Coordinate In the lower left corner of the graphics area is, in blue color, the coordinate
System system beginning point marked with a blue X. The coordinate system view
can be changed from the Icons Menu with the Views Icon. Move the cursor
over that icon and the following icon bar is displayed:

The vertical upward direction is taken as the positive Z direction. It has

relevance for the direction of gravitational force.
If the view is not already in Z-X plane, switch to it.

73
Geometry If not already selected, activate the Geometry tab, under which the Geometry
Toolbar is displayed.

Quad/Triangle The geometry of the wall is created with the Quad/Triangle Division Icon.
Division Hold down the left mouse button to display the sub-menu. Click on the first
Icon on the left and the following dialog window is displayed:

To create the upper part enter N1=20, N2=8.

Close the dialog window with Ok. Now you have to specify the corners of the
Quad. They can be specified graphically or by entering the coordinates. Lets
enter them with coordinates :
To enter the first corner, Type in the following sequence of keys:

X=0 Y=0 Z=3, Enter

Specify the relative coordinates of the next corners in a similar way. Type in
the following sequence of keys :

X=12 Y=0 Z=0, Enter

X=0 Y=0 Z=3, Enter
X=-12 Y=0 Z=0, Enter

Exit from drawing quads by pressing Esc.

The following Drawing is displayed:

74
Quad/Triangle The pillars are created in a similar way. Click the Quad/Triangle Divison
Division Icon. Enter the following values: N1=3, N2=6

Close the dialog window with Ok. Now you have to specify the corners of the
Quad.

Type in the following sequence of keys :

X=0 Y=0 Z=-6, Enter

X=1 Y=0 Z=0, Enter
X=0.8 Y=0 Z=3, Enter
X=-1.8 Y=0 Z=0, Enter

Exit from drawing quads by pressing Esc.

The following drawing is displayed:

Mirror Create the other pillar by mirroring the first one with respect to the center of
structure (X=6). Click the Mirror Icon.
The Selection Icon Bar is displayed:

75
Select with a selection window all nodes of the pillar.

The selected elements will be highlighted.

Finish the selection with Ok and the following dialog window will be
displayed:

Set Mirror: Copy, Nodes to connect: None, Copy: All. Now you have to
specify the mirror plane. First select the middle point of the bottom line of
the upper part, then select any point vertically above it.

76
 The following drawing is displayed:

The geometry of the wall has been successfully created.

Zoom Let's zoom to the structure. Move the cursor over the Zoom Icon on the Icons
Menu. The Zoom Icon Bar pops up.

Fit in Window Click the Fit In Window Icon.

Geometry In the top icon bar, Click the Geometry Check Icon to check for possible
Check duplicate entries. In the dialog window displayed the tolerance for merging the
nodes can be specified. If the distance between two nodes is less than the
value you enter they respective nodes will be merged. Enter .001.

77
 Click OK and a check summary is displayed when completed.

Elements The next step is to create the finite elements. Activate the Elements tab.

Surface Click the Surface Elements Icon. After selecting All elements the following
Elements dialog window is displayed:

Set the type of the element to Membrane(plane stress).

Material Click the Material Library Import Icon. The following dialog window is
Library Import displayed:

Select C25/30 from the Materials list, then accept it with Ok.

Thickness Enter(type) in the Thickness edit box 200 [mm], then close the dialog
window with Ok.
The surface elements have been created.

78
Display To view the local coordinate system of the surface elements click on the
Options Display Options Icon on the Icons Menu in the left side. The following dialog
window is displayed:

Check the Surface box in the Local Systems panel.

Accept the change with Ok.

If the Mesh, Node, Surface Center is switched on among the Graphics

Symbols, it is visible that the program uses 9-node membrane elements. These
9 nodes are the corners, middpoints and center point of surface element. If you
move the cursor on the surface center symbol (a filled square), a hint window
is displayed with the property of the surface element: its tag, material,
thickness, mass and references, as shown in the next drawing:

The red line shows the x axis of the local coordinate system, the yellow one
the y axis and the green one the z axis.

79
Line Support To create the supports click on the Line Support Icon and select the bottom
lines of the pillars with a selection box.

Finish the selection with Ok. The following dialog window is displayed:

To create a pinned support use the following settings:

80
Nodal DOF Click the Nodal DOF Icon, select all nodes with the All command and accept
the selection. In the dialog window scroll to Membrane in Plane X-Z and
apply it.

81
3.2. Preprocessing with domains

Start Start AxisVM by double-clicking the AxisVM icon in the AxisVM folder,
found on the Deskto, or in the Start, Programs Menu.

New Create a new model with the New Icon. In the dialog window that pops up,
replace the Model Filename with “Membrane-2”.

Objective The objective of the analysis is to determine the internal forces and
reinforcements of the following wall structure:

Assume that the wall thickness is 200 mm, the concrete is of C25/30, and the
reinforcement is B500A, computed according to Eurocode-2.
The first step is to create the geometry of structure.

Coordinate In the lower left corner of the graphics area is the global coordinate system
System symbol. The positive direction is marked by the corresponding capital letter
(X, Y, Z). The default coordinate system of a new model is the X-Z
coordinate system. It is important to note that unless changed the gravity acts
along the –Z direction.
In a new model, the global coordinate default location of the cursor is the
bottom left corner of the graphic area, and is preset to X=0, Y=0, Z=0.
The location of the cursor is defined as a relative coordinate. You can change
to the relative coordinate values by pressing the ‘d’ labeled button on the left
of the Coordinate Window. (Hint: In the right column of the coordinate
window you can specify points in cylindrical or spherical coordinate systems).
The origin of the relative coordinate system is marked by a thick blue X.

82
Geometry If not already selected, activate the Geometry tab. The Geometry Toolbar is
displayed:

Line Press down the left mouse button while the mouse is on the Line Icon. (Note:
Icons default display is to the last icon selection) The following icon sub-
menu is displayed:

Note: When the a line type is chosen, the Relative coordinate system
automatically changes to the local system (‘d’ prefix)

Polygon Select the Polygon icon, which is the second from left. When the Polygon is
chosen, the Relative coordinate system automatically changes to the local
system (‘d’ prefix)

The polygon coordinates for the frame model can be drawn with the mouse, or
by typing in their numerical values.

Set the first point (node) of the polygon by typing in these entries:
X=0 Y=0 Z=3
Finish specifying the first line point by pressing Enter.

To enter the remaining nodes of the polygon membrane model, enter the
following sequence of values:
X=1 Y=0 Z=0, Enter
X=0.8 Y=0 Z=3, Enter
X=8.4 Y=0 Z=0, Enter
X=0.8 Y=0 Z=-3, Enter
X=1 Y=0 Z=0, Enter
X=0 Y=0 Z=6, Enter
X=-12 Y=0 Z=0, Enter
X=0 Y=0 Z=-6, Enter

Exit from the command by clicking Esc twice.

Translate Click the Translate Icon. Select the top horizontal line and finish the
selection with Ok. Choose Incremental from the Method panel, N=1, Nodes
to Connect: None, then close the dialog window with Ok. Now you must
specify the translation vector. Click any empty place in the Graphics Area,
then type in the following sequence:
X=0 Y=0 Z= -0.75, Enter

83
 The following drawing results:

Elements The next step is to create the finite elements. Click the Elements tab.

Domain Click the Domain Icon, then select All. Accept the selection with Ok and the
following dialog window is displayed:

Set the type of the element to Membrane (plane stress).

Material Click the Material Library Import Icon and the following dialog window is
Library Import displayed:

Select C25/30 from the materials list, and close the dialog window with Ok.

84
Thickness Enter(Type in) 200 [mm] as the thickness of wall

then close the dialog window with Ok.

The following drawing results:

It is easy to observe the symbol of the domain - a blue line on the inner
contour of the domain. Moving the cursor over it a hint window is displayed
with the properties of the domain:

85
Domain Click the Domain Meshing Icon. Select the domain with the All command
Meshing (the asterisk) and finish the selection with Ok. The following dialog window
is displayed:

Type in 0.75 [m] for the average mesh element size. After closing this dialog
window with Ok the automatic mesh generation is started. The progress of
mesh generation is shown in a window.

After the mesh generation is completed, the following drawing is displayed:

If you move the cursor on the surface center symbol (a filled square), a hint
window is displayed with the property of the surface element : it's tag,
material, thickness, mass and references as shown in the next drawing.

86
Line Support The next step is to specify the supports. Click the Line support Icon. Select
the bottom lines with a selection box.

Accept the selection with Ok. The following dialog window is displayed:

To create pinned support set the dialog window as shown below:

87
 Close the dialog window with Ok, and the following drawing is displayed:

Nodal DOF The next (optional) step is to set the nodal degrees of freedom. Click the
Nodal DOF Icon. Select all nodes with the All command, finish the selection
with Ok, and in the dialog window select Membrane in plane X-Z.

The finite elements have now been created.

The next step is to apply the loads.

Load Click the Loads tab.

Surface Edge Assume a 50kN/m vertical distributed load. Click on the Surface Edge
Load Load Icon, then select the line you have created with the translate command
(the second black line from top):

88
 Finish the selection with Ok, and enter(type) in: py 50 [kn/m]:

Press Ok and the load is applied.

The following drawing is displayed:

Static The next step is the analysis and postprocessing. Click the Static tab.

Linear Static Click the Linear Static Analysis Icon. The model will be saved with it's
Analysis current name (which is Membrane 2 in this case).

A Model Save Dialog will appear if you haven’t already assigned a name for
the model. Accept save and a Save dialog window appears, where you can
specify the model filename and path.

Calculation During the calculation the following window is visible:

Click the Details button to view the details of calculation:

The topmost label shows the current computation step, and the bar below it
shows its progress. The second bar shows the global progress of computation.
89
 The estimated memory requirement shows the estimated virtual memory
needed. If the virtual memory of the computer is set to a lower value than the
needed value, an error message is displayed. When the computation has
finished, the progress bars will disappear.

Postprocessor Close the window with Ok. By default the postprocessor will start with the ez
displacement, the display mode will be isoline. You will see the vertical
displacements.

Display For a clearer view, switch off the display of Loads. Click the Display
Options Options Icon, and uncheck the Load box.

Fit in Window Click on the Fit in Window Icon.

The following drawing results:

Click the Result Component combo box (the one showing ez[mm] and
select nx from Surface Internal Forces.

90
Min/Max To find the location of maximum internal force. Click the Min, Max Value
Value Icon. The following dialog window is displayed:

Here you can select the component you are interested in. Accept nx by
clicking Ok. A dialog window will show the value and location of the
negative maximum.

Click Ok and another window is displayed showing the location and value of
positive maximum.
The color regions are delimited by the values in the Color Legend Window.
You can change the number of colors by dragging the handle beside the level
number edit box or entering a new value.

91
Color Legend To find the ranges with a normal force larger than -100 kN/m, Click on the
Setup Window values in the Color Legend Window. In the Color Legend Setup dialog
window check Auto Interpolate, then click on the bottom value in the left
column, and replace –331.62 with -100.

Close the dialog window with OK, and the new ranges will be applied.

The following drawing results:

The regions with a normal force greater then -100 are hatched.

Isoline View the internal forces in Isoline display mode. Click the Display Mode
combo box (the one which displays Isosurface 2D) and select Isoline from
the list.

92
 The isoline drawing is shown below:

View the internal forces of the supports. Select rz from Line Support Internal
Forces in the Result Component combo box.

Result Display Click the Result Display Parameters Icon, and the following dialog window
Parameters is displayed. Check the Lines box in the Write Values To panel and set the
Display Mode to Diagram

93
 Close the dialog window with Ok and the values of support forces is
displayed on the screen:

R.C. Design The next step is to calculate the reinforcement. Click the R.C. Design tab:

Click on the Reinforcement Parameters Icon, and select all surface

elements with the All command. Complete the selection with OK, and the
following dialog window is displayed:

Close the dialog window with OK and the axb diagram is displayed:

The area of reinforcement in the x direction is the sum of the axt and axb
values.

94
4. SHELL MODEL
Start To run the program click AxisVM 8 icon in the AxisVM folder on the
Desktop.
New Create a new model by clicking the New icon or File / New from the menu.
Enter ‘Reservoir’ into the Model Filename field and into the first line of the
Page Header. Select Front View from the left toolbar and select Eurocode as
Design Code.:

Job definition Determine the specific forces and the amount of reinforcement for the
following reservoir filled with water.

Thickness of the walls and the baseplate is 250 mm, ribs on the upper edge are
30x60s. The structure is made of C25/30 concrete and B500B rebars. Use
Eurocode 2.

95
Settings Use Settings / Options / Grid & Cursor… to open the following dialog:

Replace each value under Cursor Step by 0.2

to ensure that the mouse cursor moves in 0.2 m steps so you avoid geometric
imperfections while drawing the model.
Now you create the geometry using enhanced editing functions.

Geometry Click the Geometry tab under the menu getting to the geometry toolbar:

Polygon The third icon from the left is Polygon. Click the
mouse left button on it to draw a polygon.
First we draw the reservoir wall in X-Z plane.
Choose the global origin as the origin of the polygon.
It is on the bottom left at the intersection of a
horizontal and a vertical brown line representing the
global X and Z axes. The blue x shows the current
origin of the editing coordinate-system.

96
Relative To enter further polygon vertices choose the relative coordinate-system
coordinate- (relative to the blue x). Turn on relative coordinates by clicking the d button. If
system this button is down the relative coordinates are displayed and coordinates have
a d prefix.

If this button is up global coordinates are displayed.

Move the mouse cursor to the following locations and click once to enter each
vertex: 11.0 right and 0.2 down, down 0.4, right 1.0, up 3.6, left 12.0, down
3.0 (or by keyboard: x 11 z –0,2 [Enter] z –0.4 [Enter] x 1 [Enter] z 3.6 [Enter]
x –12 [Enter] z –3 [Enter]).
Double-click at the last vertex to quit the drawing function. Now you have
this:

Translation Use the Translation icon on the Icon bar on the left to create the geometry of
the reservoir in space.
The Selection palette appears:

Select all lines by pressing the Gray* on the keyboard or the fourth icon on the
toolbar. Selected elements turn purple. Click the OK button to accept the
selection and you get to the Translate dialog.

Select the Incremental method, N=1, and All nodes to connect. Click OK to
close the dialog.

97
Change view Select the icon on the left from the toolbar and the X-Y plane or press [Ctrl+2]

Now specify the translation vector. Its base point can be anywhere and set its
endpoint using relative coordinates to get to this point:

Change view Select the icon on the left from the toolbar and click the
Perspective view (or press Ctrl+4):
The perspective palette appears:

The cursor changes to show that you can drag and rotate the model to set a
new perspective. Rotate it to get to the following settings or enter these H, V,
P values:

Close the palette by clicking any of the two small x button.

Fit in window To see the entire structure click the Zoom icon on the left toolbar and choose
Fit in window:

Numbering Move the cursor to the bottom right corner anf find the Numbering icon
among the speed buttons!
Here you can turn numbering on or off. Turn on the check box
before Node and node numbers appear immediately.

98
Translation To shape up the grip slope move the line between Node 3 and 4 down by 0.2
(move) m. Drag a selection rectangle around Node 3 and 4:

All elements within the rectangle will be selected (Node 3, Node 4 and the line
between them).
Move the cursor onto the selected line and start dragging it. Now you have to
specify the translation vector.

Select the Special constraints icon from the Icon bar

on the left and choose the second icon from the flyout
toolbar.
Click the vertical line between Node
4 and 5. Now you have applied a
parallel constraint: the translation
vector will be parallel to the vertical
line. Move the line between Node 3
and 4 down. To specify the exact
distance type Z to get to the dZ
coordiante edit field and type –0.2
[Enter].
Geometry Check To check the model geometry use the
Geometry Check.
Here you can set the tolerance. If two
nodes are closer than this distance
they will automatically be joined.

After clicking OK a check report will

appear:

Elements Clicking the Elements tab you can specify the element types, material
properties, cross-sections and references determining local systems of the
elements.

99
Reference point The local system of finite elements can be set by references. In this example a
reference point is used to define the orientation of the local Z direction on the
plane normal and a reference plane to define the in-plane X and Y axes.
Click the reference point icon then click the midside point of the line between
Node 5 and 11. To locate the midside point move the cursor along the line and
check if the cursor shape changes from ’/’ to ’ ½’.
Numbering Move the cursor over the Numbering button on the
speed button toolbar. Turn on the Reference check
box. Now an „R1” label appears beside the
reference symbol.
Reference plane To set the local system of domains create a
reference plane. Click the icon on the Elements
toolbar. You need three points to define the plane.
Click Node 6, click anywhere on the line between
Node 1 and 2 then click Node 1.
You get this:

Domains Define a domain to create structural surface elements. Click the Domain icon.
The Selection palette appears. Click on the following lines to select domain
contours:
6 – 6; 6 – 1; → Rectangle 6 – 1 – 7 – 12 is automatically selected
1 – 7; 7 – 8; 8 – 2; 2 – 1
11 – 10; 10 – 4; → Rectangle 11 – 10 – 4 – 5 is automatically selected
Click OK on the Selection palette. You get to the Domains dialog.

100
Material Library Click the Material Library Import button to select a material:
Import

Select C25/30. The list on the right displays the material properties. Click OK.
Thickness Enter 250 into the edit field Thickness[mm].
Reference Set the local x reference to R2:

Local z reference will be Auto. Click OK to close the dialog.

You will see a green contour along the domain boundary showing the shape of
the domain. The color depends on the element type. Shell domains always
have a green contour.
Local systems Turn on the display of local systems clicking the Local systems speed button
in the bottom right toolbar.
Domains Define another structural surface element the same way. Click the Domain
icon. The Selection palette appears. Click on the following lines to select
domain contour:
8 – 9; 9 – 3; → Polygon 8 – 9 – 3 – 2 is automatically selected.
Click OK on the Selection palette. You get to the Domains dialog.
Choose Shell as element type, 250 mm as Thickness, R2 as Local x reference,
R1 as Local z reference and click OK.
Domains Define the remaining structural surface elements the same way. Click the
Domain icon. The Selection palette appears. Click on the following lines to
select domain contours:
11 – 10; 10 – 9; → Polygon 11 – 10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 12 is automatically
selected.
9 – 10; 10 – 4; 4 – 3; → Rectangle 9 – 10 – 4 – 3 is automatically selected.
5 – 4; 4 – 3; 3 – 2; 2 – 1; → Polygon 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 is automatically
selected.

101
 Click OK on the Selection palette. You get to the Domains dialog.
Define a shell domain with a thickness of 250 mm but this time with Auto
references and click OK.
You get the following:

Speed buttons Turn off Numbering / Node and Local systems using speed buttons.

Line elements To define ribs on the upper edges click Line elements on the Elements
toolbar. The Selection palette appears. Press the [Shift] key and click on the 4
edges. Click OK on the Selection palette. You get to the Line elements dialog.

102
Cross-section A borda keresztmetszetének megadásához aktiváljuk a Szelvény felirat mellett
Editor jobbra elhelyezkedı Szelvényszerkesztı funkciót! A következı ablak jelenik
meg:

Rectangular To define a 30 x 60 rectangular

shape shape click the Rectangular
shape icon on the toolbar. Type
300 into the b[mm] edit field
and 600 into h[mm] then click
the Place button.

You get back to the main window. Click anywhere to place the shape.

103
 The cross-section 1st and 2nd principal direction, center of gravity and other
cross-sectionn parameters are displayed within the property info window.
Click More parameters to see all parameters calculated automatically by a
finite element analysis of the cross-section.
Click OK to close the Cross-section
Editor then enter 30*60 as the name
of the cross-section. Click OK again.

You get back to the Line Elements dialog. Enter –175 mm as Eccentricity
then click OK. Rib centerlines are displayed as blue lines and a grey diagram
shows the actual cross-section.
Move the cursor over a rib and wait for
the tooltip to appear displaying element
properties:

Rendered view Move the cursor over the View mode

icon on the Icon bar on the left. A
flyout toolbar appears.
Select the rightmost icon to choose Rendered view. This way you can check
element definitions.

104
Rotate view Click the Rotate view icon on the
Zoom toolbar at the bottom left corner
of the main window.
Drag the model to rotate it. A special
Rotation toolbar appears. You can
control the way view rotation works by
selecting from the options.

Press the [Esc] key or close the Rotation toolbar by clicking the x button to
quit view rotation.
View undo Select View undo from the Zoom toolbar.

Fit in view Click this icon to make the drawing fill the window.

Wireframe Select Wireframe from the view mode flyout toolbar.

Surface support To define supports for the structure click the Surface support icon on the
Elements toolbar. The Selection palette appears. Click the two non-vertical
domains. Click OK on the Selection toolbar. You get to the support definition
dialog. Set Rx and Ry to 1E3 and click OK.

105
 You get this:

Loads To define loads click the Loads tab.

Load cases and To define load cases and load groups click Load cases and load groups icon
load groups on the Loads toolbar. You get to this dialog:

Click on the selected load case to rename it to ’Self Weight’. Click OK to

close the dialog.
106
Self weight To define self weight click the Self weight icon. On the Selection palette click
the Select all (asterisk) icon or press gray * on the keyboard. Click OK to
close the Selection palette.
Dashed lines along the domain contours represent the self weight.
Moving the cursor to a domain you get
a tooltip like this:

Static Load Case To create another load case click the

Load cases and load groups icon on
the Loads toolbar and click the Static
button in the New Case group box.
Enter ’Water’ as the name of the new load case in the tree view.
Click OK to close the dialog.

Fluid loads To define the water load click the Fluid loads icon. On the Selection palette
click the Select all (asterisk) icon or press gray * on the keyboard. Click OK to
close the Selection palette.
To define water level 30 cm under the top edge of the reservoir change
Z1 [m]=3.000 to 2.7, and set the bottom pressure value to –35 (pressure is in
the negative local z direction) and click OK:

You get this:

107
Load To create laod combinations click the Load combinations icon. You get to the
combinations load combinations table in the Table Browser.

New row To create a new combination click the New row icon then enter 1.35 into the
Self-Weight column and 1.00 into the Water column. Use [Tab] or [Enter] to
jump to the next cell. Click OK to close the dialog.

Speed buttons Turn off the Load display using the speed button and turn
off Supports and Reference from the Graphic symbols
flyout.

Mesh generation To create finite element mesh click the Mesh tab.

Click the Domain meshing icon. On

the Selection palette click the Select
all (asterisk) icon or press gray * on
the keyboard. Click OK to close the
Selection palette.
Use Uniform mesh size and set
Average Mesh Element Size to 0.600
m and click OK to close the dialog.

108
You get a visual feedback on the
meshing process. After completing
you get the following:

Green points at the center of surface elements is the symbol of shell

centerpoints. Moving the mouse over a centerpoint you get a tooltip
information on the element and the domain.

Now we entered all properties necessary to analyse the model.

109
Static To run the analysis and display the results click the Static tab.

Linear analysis Click Linear static analysis to run the linear analysis.
You get to the dialog which gives you a feedback on the process of the
analysis. Click Details to know more about it.

You can see the actual steps of the calculation. The first bar shows the actual
progress of the current step while the second one displays the overall progress
of the analysis.
The Estimated Memory Requirement shows the necessary amount of memory
to run the analysis. If this value is higher than the available physical memory
AxisVM uses the hard disk to swap memory blocks during the calculation. If
the system of equations fits into the physical memory the calculation is
considerably faster.
At the end of the analysis you see the following

110
 Click OK to close the dialog. You get to the Static tab, displaying the Self
Weight load case and eZ (i.e. vertical displacements due to the self weight).
Numbering Click the Numbering speed button and turn on Write Values to
Surfaces and Min./Max. only.
To see the result for the Water load case click the dropdown
button of the combo box displaying Self Weight and select
Water.

You can change the result component the similar way.

Parts To hide the front wall of the reservoir create a part. Click the Parts icon on the
Icon bar on the left. You get to the Parts dialog.

Define a part containing everything but the front wall.

Click New and specify the name as WithoutFront.

111
Change view Select the X-Y view from the flyout
toolbar or press [Ctrl+2].
On the Selection palette click the
Select all (asterisk) icon or press gray
* on the keyboard. The first button of
the palette (Add entities to the
selection) comes up and the second
one (Remove entities from the
selection) goes down showing that the
selection mode has been changed.
Scroll the model left or zoom out a bit
(use the mouse wheel or [Grey -]) and
deselect the front wall.
Click OK to close the Selection palette
then click OK in the Parts dialog. The
Info Window shows that there is an
active part:

View Undo Undo the view (or select Perspective view by [Ctrl+4]) and you will see that
now the front wall is hidden.

Min, max To determine the extreme values of the horizontal

displacements click the Min, max icon. You get to a
dialog (on the right).
Select eY and close the dialog.
First the minimum value of eY appears near the
selected node which is the location where the extreme
can be found. If you click OK or press [Enter], you get
to the maximum eY location.

112
Display Select the load combination (Co. #1) and the eR resultant displacement. Click
Parameters the Display Parameters icon, set Display Shape to Deformed, Display Mode
to Diagram and Scale By to 2.

Go to the bottom of the screen, turn the Mesh Display speed button on, and
change display mode on the Icon bar to Hidden line removal.
Rotation Use the bottom left toolbar to activate the interactive rotation and check the
deformed shape.

113
Change view Select the X-Z view from the flyout
toolbar or press [Ctrl+1].
In the Display Parameters dialog set
Display Shape to Undeformed,
Display Mode to Isosurface 2D and
Scale By to 1. Choose mx result
component from the Surface Internal
Forces category of the dropdown tree.
Go to the bottom of the screen, turn
the Mesh Display speed button off.
Color Legend
Test different number of color levels
by dragging the bottom of the Color
Legend window.
If we set 11 colors first then 29 we get
the following drawings:

Now choose my result component.

Section To show this component in a section click the Section icon on the Icon bar. To
define a new section plane click the New section plane button in the dialog
and enter 1 as the name of the section plane.

A section plane can be defined by two points in side, front of top view. Being
in front view click the rib at 6.000 m and enter the second point somewhere
under the first on a vertical line (e.g. typing z –3 [Enter]).
You get back to the Section Lines dialog. Click OK.

114
Change view Select the Y-Z side view from the flyout toolbar or press [Ctrl+3].
Click Numbering speed button and turn on Write Values to Lines.
Numbering You get the following diagram:

Speed buttons Turn off Sections clicking its speed button at the bottom.

115
Change view Select the perspective view from the flyout toolbar or press [Ctrl+4].
Choose Rz from Surface Support Internal Forces and set Isoline display style
with 22 levels. Turn on Write Values To Surfaces.

R. C. Design To determine the required amount of reinforcement click the R. C. Design tab

Reinforcement To define surface reinforcement parameters click the Reinforcement

parameters parameters icon. On the Selection palette click the Select all (asterisk) icon or
press gray * on the keyboard. Click OK to close the Selection palette.
In the Surface Reinforcement
Parameters dialog set Concrete
to B500B and change xtop and
xbottom to 45 mm. Click OK to
close the dialog.

Speed buttons Turn off Write Values To Line and Surface by clicking the Numbering speed
button. We get this for axb (required amount of reinforcement in local x
direction at the bottom of the elements (top and bottom are defined by the
local z coordinate)

116
 Also check components in other directions and positions: axt, ayb, ayt.
Reinforced To determine the required amount of reinforcement in concrete beams click
Beam Design the Beam Reinforcement Calculation icon. The Selection palette appears.
Click one of the ribs on the longer walls and click OK on the palette. You get a
warning message:

Close the dialog and you get to the Beam Reinforcement window displaying
the structural model of the beam, the bending moment, shear force and
torsional force distribution.

117
Beam Click Beam Parameters to specify the design properties. Click the icon of the
Parameters rectangular cross-section and click OK.

You get the required amount of reinforcement and stirrup distance.

118
Notes

119
Notes

120