XTRACT

Cross Section Analysis Of Structural Components

Beginning Level - Example 1

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 1

Introduction
This beginning example outlines the basis features of XTRACT. In this example, a
new project will be started, a section will be created from the template, the
section will be copied and modified, and both a moment curvature analysis and axial
force-moment analysis will be performed. The results will be viewed and interpreted
and output reports printed. Contents of this detailed example include: • An outline
of the basic flow of the program • Step-by-step instructions on creating a cross
section using the section template. • Detailed instructions on how to analyze the
section within the interface • Methods by which to access the various output
capabilities • How to structure and print the various output reports

Program Flow
The following outlines the basic flow of the program from creating a new project to
creating cross sections to viewing analysis data. This example will present each of
the following steps in detail: • Create a new project by clicking the 'New' icon on
the main toolbar. • Within the new project creation wizard, select begin from
Template. • Enter section data, material models, specify mesh size, and create
cross section. • Add analyses to the created section. • Analyze. • View output
results in the ’Interactive Output’ dialog. • Add a graph to compare analysis
results from the different cross sections. • View and print ’Analysis Reports’.
XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 2
Creating a New Project
To create a new project, click the 'New' button ( ) or from the title bar drop-down
menu select New. When the ’New Project’ icon is clicked the new project wizard form
is opened (Figure 1).

Figure 1. New Project Wizard.

In this dialog box enter the information particular to the project. Information
entered here is reproduced in the headers of the various output reports generated
after analyses. Once the information has been entered, click the ’Forward’ button
to continue. The next page of the wizard defines how to begin the project (Figure
2). Projects can begin from a section created from the section template, imported
from a section file, or from a blank slate (a user defined section). In this
example, the section will be created from the template. In the ’Start From’ drop-
down menu, select ’Template’, choose the kip-in unit system, and enter the section
name as ’Section1’. Click the ’Begin XTRACT’ button to continue.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 3

Figure 2. New Project Wizard - Page 2.

In the first page of the template (Figure 3) select the rectangular column with the
triple hoop transverse reinforcing configuration. Select #4 at 4in on center for
the spacing of the transverse reinforcing and click the ’Next’ button. On Page 2 of
the template (Figure 4), enter 48in as the section width and height and enter 24 -
#8 for the longitudinal reinforcement. For the triple hoop transverse reinforcement
layout, there are only three options for the number of longitudinal reinforcing
bars - 12, 18, and 24. The number of bars offered in this drop-down box are
contingent on the type of transverse reinforcement layout selected. The number of
bars offered will satisfy ACI column requirements for spacing and transverse
reinforcement and will be consistent with the selected confinement configuration.
If more reinforcing bars are required, they can be added later in the project. Note
that when creating a section with the section template, the design log updates with
the user input information as the template progresses. This information will be
automatically printed in the section report after the section has been discretized.
Click the ’Next’ button to continue to Page 3 of the template.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 4

Figure 3. Section Template - Page 1.

In Page 3 of the template (Figure 5), the user is prompted to select the material
models that are to be associated with the various shapes in the cross section.
XTRACT has 6 predefined material models as well as a general user defined material
stress strain model. The 6 preset models can be used to describe behavior of the
steel, unconfined concrete, and confined concrete. The user defined model can be
used to crete any type of material behavior. Typical concrete cross sections will
consist of 3 different material models: unconfined concrete (cover), confined
concrete (core), and the longitudinal reinforcing steel model. To add the
materials, click either the ’Add New’ button or to use an existing material, select
it from the drop-down list of available material models. To edit an existing
material, click the ’Edit’ button after selecting the material to edit. Because no
materials have been created in this project, new materials need to be added. After
clicking the ’Add New’ button, the ’Unconfined Concrete’ model dialog box in opened
(Figure 6). In this dialog box enter the properties of the unconfined material
stress strain model. The input parameters give options for varying the crushing and
spalling strain. The crushing strain is the XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of
Structural Components - 5
Figure 4. Section Template - Page 2.

strain at which excessive cracking begins to occur followed by a rapid degradation

in strength to the spalling strain. The spalling strain is the point at which the
concrete stress goes to the post crushing strength. Typical values for the crushing
and spalling strain for unconfined concrete are 0.004 and 0.006 respectively. Other
input parameters include the post crushing strength, the 28-Day compressive
strength, and an option for tension in the concrete. If a tension strength (rupture
stress) is specified in the stress strain relation, the model assumes stress strain
linearity with a slope of the concrete modulus of elasticity up to the rupture
stress. In addition, the user can input the yield strain of concrete. This
parameter is used to define the first yield limit state criteria for some of the
analysis options described later in this example. In addition, for heavily loaded
columns, this value is used to define the bilinearization of the moment curvature
diagram (see the Bilinearization of the Moment Curvature Diagram in the XTRACT help
file for more discussion).

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 6

Figure 5. Section Template - Page 3.

Finally, the user is prompted to enter the ’Failure Strain’. Each material has a
failure strain that will end computation of the moment curvature analysis. When
analyzing a confined concrete component for the ultimate strain limit state,
crushing and spalling of the confined cover is expected. Thus, when spalling of the
cover occurs, the computation should not stop. If analyzing a section where cover
spalling is not to control termination of the analysis, enter a large number in
this text field (i.e. 1.0 - strain of 100%). If analyzing a cross section where
computation should terminate when the cover spalls, enter the crushing or spalling
strain in this text field. After entering the data, click the ’View’ button to view
the data. Click the ’Apply’ button to view the material AND add it to the project.
For this example, click the ’Apply’ button then close this form. Once the
unconfined material has been added to the project and the form is closed, the user
is directed back to Page 3 on the template. Next, for this example, the confined
concrete model needs to be added. To open the ’Confined Concrete’ material model
dialog box, click the ’New’ button next to the ’Column Core Concrete’ frame (Figure
7). XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 7
Figure 6. Unconfined Concrete Stress Strain Model Dialog.

The ’Confined Concrete’ material model dialog box is similar to the unconfined
material dialog box (Figure 8). For the confined mode, the confined strength and
strain capacity of confined concrete is dependant on the transverse reinforcing
details provided by the user. When the template is used, this increased strength
and increased strain capacity is automatically calculated for the transverse
reinforcing details and column size provided. To view the input parameters that are
used in calculation of the confined concrete strength (Figure 9), click the
’Equals’ button next to the ’Confined Concrete Strength’ text box ( ). For detailed
information on the input parameters and references for the model used to find the
confined concrete strength, see the ’Confined Concrete Strength Calculator’ help
page in the XTRACT help file. If any of the parameters in the dialog box XTRACT -
Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 8
Figure 7. Section Template - Page 3.

change, click the ’Equal’ sign at the bottom of the dialog box to recalculate the
confined concrete strength. In addition, because the template was used, the
confined concrete strain was automatically calculated. To view the input parameters
for calculation of the confined concrete strain (Figure 10), click the ’Equal’ sign
next to the ’Crushing Strain’ text box on the ’Confined Concrete’ dialog box. For
more information on this form, consult the XTRACT help file. In this example,
because the template is used, the input parameters for this calculation are
automatically entered and thus no changes are required in either the ’Confinement
Calculator’ or the ’Crushing Strain Calculator’. After entering the material
parameters for the confined concrete model, click the ’Apply’ button. When the
model is applied to the project, a warning message will occur for this example
(Figure 11). Because the confinement properties for this cross section are such
that it results in large allowable crushing strain, the warning message is given to
remind the user to carefully exam-

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 9

Figure 8. Confined Concrete Stress Strain Model Dialog.

ine the details. Typically, to go beyond a 0.02 strain for confined concrete, the
details and construction quality need to be carefully controlled. To limit the
maximum to 0.02 click the ’Yes’ button on this error message. When the error
message closes, 0.02 is replaced in the ’Confined Concrete’ model dialog. To apply
the material model, click the ’Apply’ button then close this form. After adding the
confined concrete model. the user is directed back to Page 3 of the template. In
this dialog box, click the ’Add New’ button in the ’Longitudinal Steel’ frame to
open the steel material model (Figure 12). In this form, select the ’A615 Grade 60’
type steel from the ’Steel Standard’ drop-down box. By selecting the steel grade,
the input parameters for the steel model are entered automatically. The default
material parameters for the various material models proXTRACT - Cross Sectional
Analysis of Structural Components - 10
Figure 9. Confined Concrete Strength Calculator.

Figure 10. Confined Concrete Strain Calculator.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 11

Figure 11. Warning Message Shown when the Compressive Strain Capacity of the
Confined Concrete Exceeds 0.02.

Figure 12. Parabolic Steel Stress Strain Model Dialog.

vided by XTRACT can be found in the ASTM standards. To use different material
parameters, enter them in the appropriate text box. Click the ’Apply’ button to add
this material model to the project.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 12

After applying the ’Parabolic Strain Hardening Steel Model’ click the ’Next’ button
to move the last page of the template (Figure 13). On this last page of the
template the user can change the sec-

Figure 13. Section Template - Page 4.

tion name or the default mesh. The default mesh is set as the minimum outside
dimension divided by 16. For most applications, this approximation will give
reasonable results without too much computational demand imposed on the computer
system. Click the ’Create Section’ button to generate the new cross section. When
the template form closes, the screen should appear as shown in Figure 14. This
section was created with a 3in mesh. The mesh size is the average distance between
the corner points of the triangulation. The fuchsia colored edges of the section
visible on the screen is the unconfined concrete. The grey interior is the core
concrete material and the small black solid circles are the longitudinal
reinforcing steel. The yellow line seen off to the left of the screen is part of
the bounding box. The entire section must be contained inside the bounding box. The
green outlines of the each shape is called the shape boundary and is used to define
each shape. More information on the bounding box and XTRACT - Cross Sectional
Analysis of Structural Components - 13
Figure 14. Section Builder.

the shape boundaries can be found in the XTRACT help file. Each section is created
from a series of shapes that can be resized and edited as necessary. The dark grey
background is the builder. The builder is the window where the sections are
created.

Copying and Modifying the Section

After the section has been created, it can be edited. But, because the section has
been created using the template, if the section is modified, the input information
for the template section will be lost. To view the section report (that can be
printed) open the project manager by the clicking the icon on the main builder
toolbar. In the project manager, double click the ’Section Report’ icon ( ) as
shown in Figure 15. The section report shows the properties of the section
including the centoid coordinates, moment of inertia, and names of the material
models with the cross section. In addition, if the section was created using the
template, the section report will show the parameXTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis
of Structural Components - 14
Figure 15. Project Manager.

ters the user input during the course of the section creation. After viewing the
report, close the window. In this example, the section will be copied then
modified. On the main toolbar, click the Add/ Remove Section Icon ( ) to open the
’Add/Remove Section’ dialog box (Figure 16). In this

Figure 16. Add/Remove Section Dialog.

form, select the ’As a copy of’ in the ’Add Section’ drop-down box and select
’Section1’ as the section to be copied. Enter ’Section2’ as the new section name,
and click the ’Add’ button. In the project manager, click the folder for ’Section2’
to set that section as the active section thereby bringing it to the front of the
screen. When a builder is in view, the ’Section Builder’ is always in one of 5
build modes. By default, each section begins in the lock mode. When selecting
another mode, other than lock, all analysis data is erased to protect consistency
of output results. Also, if the section was creating using the XTRACT - Cross
Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 15
template, clicking out of lock mode erases the template data. For this example,
click the ’Draw/ Import Shape’ icon on the builder tools toolbar ( ) to open the
’Draw/Import Shape’ dialog box (Figure 17). When the mode is changed from lock, a
warning message will show explaining that

Figure 17. Draw/Import Shapes Dialog.

the template data will be removed if the build mode is changed from lock (Figure
18). Click ’OK’.

Figure 18. Warning Message Regarding Removal of Template Section Data.

For this example, a hole is to be added to the center of the cross section. In the
’Draw/Import Shape’ dialog, select the ’Import Shape’ tab, and select the shape
type as ’Circle’. Enter 12in for the diameter and click the ’Import’ button. The
circle, drawn to scale, appears on the existing section. Using the mouse, drag the
circle to the (0,0) coordinate (Figure 19). The current mouse coorXTRACT - Cross
Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 16
Figure 19. Importing a Hole in the Concrete Cross Section.

dinates are always shown on the bottom of the builder. When dragging the shape, the
current x and y coordinates of the centroid of the shape are also automatically
updated in the ’Draw/Import Shape’ dialog box. When the shape has been moved to the
proper coordinate, click the ’Discretize’ button on the ’Draw/Import Shape’ dialog
to open the ’Discretizer’ dialog box (Figure 20). Select

Figure 20. The Discretizer.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 17

the material as ’Delete’, select the option for ’No Cover’, leave the mesh size as
0.9in, and click the ’Discretize’ button. After closing the ’Discretizer’ dialog
and the ’Draw/Import Shape’ dialog the section should appear as shown in Figure 21.

Figure 21. Section Discretized with a Central Hole.

Loadings and Analysis

XTRACT has three loading (or analysis types) available to the user: Moment
Curvature, Axial Force-Moment Interaction, and Capacity Orbit (moment-moment
interaction). In this example, a moment curvature and an axial force-moment
interaction analysis will be added to both sections. The add a moment curvature
analysis, select ’Moment Curvature’ from the ’Loadings’ title bar menu. In the
’Moment Curvature’ dialog box enter the information shown in Figure 22. Moments
will be incremented about the x axis, the constant axial load is specified at
200kips, the animation and show graph options should be checked, and the option to
calculate moment rotation should be XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural
Components - 18
Figure 22. Moment Curvature Loading Dialog.

selected. For the plastic hinge length, enter 24in. Enter the name of the loading
as ’MC1’ applied on ’Section1’. When all the data has entered, click the ’Apply’
button. Then, change the name of the loading to ’MC2’ and the ’Applied on Section’
drop-down menu to ’Section2’. Click ’Apply’ again to add this loading. Close the
’Moment Curvature’ dialog box. To see the loadings applied to the project, open the
Project Manager and expand the ’Section1’ and ’Section2’ directories as shown in
Figure 23. The Project Manager is the corner stone of XTRACT. All sections,
reports, analysis, and analysis data can be accessed from the Project Manager by
double clicking the item of interest. To add the axial force-moment interaction
loading select ’PM Interaction’ from the ’Loadings’ title bar menu. In the ’Axial
Force Moment Interaction’ dialog box, enter the information shown in Figure 24. In
this dialog, the user has the option for entering the limiting strains. The
limiting stains dictate the maximum strains at which the interaction surface is
calculated. For more information on limiting strains consult the XTRACT help file.
Each material has a default PM InteracXTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of
Structural Components - 19
Figure 23. Accessing the Moment Curvature Loading from the Project Manager.

Figure 24. Axial Force-Moment Interaction Loading Dialog.

tion strain. For unconfined concrete, it is .003. For confined concrete, it is the
strain at peak stress. For steel, it is the strain as the onset of strain
hardening. For this example, enter ’PM1’ for the loading name applied to ’Section1’
and click the ’Apply’ button. Then, enter ’PM2’ as the loading XTRACT - Cross
Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 20
name, and change the ’Applied to Section’ drop-down selection to ’Section2’. Click
the ’Apply’ button. Check the Project Manager to insure that the loadings have been
properly added to each of the two sections in the project.

Analyze the Cross Section

To analyze the cross sections with the defined loadings, click the ’Analysis’
button on the main toolbar ( ). The analysis windows will appear when each analysis
begins. The analysis window shows the current state of the analysis. When the
analysis has completed, the screen should contain four windows showing the
animation of the last load step in the analysis side by side with a plot of the
analysis results. The options for ’Show Animation’ and ’Show Graph’ set in the
loading dialog boxes control whether or not the animation and graphics are shown.
The analysis result windows from the moment curvature and axial force-moment
interaction analyses for ’Section2’ are given in Figure 25 and Figure 26,
respectively. The color coded images in the animation show the state of the
material for each analysis step during analysis. The dark blue represents
compression in the concrete, the white is crushing of the concrete, the yellow
steel bars represents the yield plateau, the green bars show the longitudinal
reinforcement in the strain hardening range of the material model, and the fuchsia
and grey in the concrete represent zero or tensile strain. Close the four windows.

Viewing Results
After analyses has been performed, analysis results can be accessed from the
Project Manager. After analysis of a particular loading, the loading becomes a
folder inside the Project Manager. Click the ’+’ next to the folder to expand the
folders and the ’-’ to collapse them. In the Project Manager, expand the ’Section1’
section folder and then the ’MC1’ loading. Double click on the ’Interactive Output’
icon in the Project Manager as shown in Figure 27 to open the ’Interactive Output’
dialog box. The ’Interactive Output’ dialog is way to step through the analysis
slowly XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 21
Figure 25. Analysis Result Windows for the Moment Curvature Analysis on the Section
Containing a Central Hole.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 22

Figure 26. Analysis Result Windows for the Axial Force-Moment Interaction Analysis
on the Section Containing a Central Hole.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 23

Figure 27. Project Manager Showing Access to the Interactive Output.

viewing all information produced from analyses of the cross section. For this
example, set the load step to 17 using the slide bar at the top of the ’Interactive
Output’ dialog box, select the ’Data to View’ option as ’Fiber/Bar Property’,
select the plots to ’Moment about the X-axis’ verses ’Maximum Steel1 Material
Stress’ and ’Moment about the X-axis’ verses ’Minimum Confined1 Material Stress’.
Click the bottom outside fiber of the cross section (Figure 28). Note that the
minimum stress (and strain) for each material is the maximum compression stress
(and strain). The maximum values (positive) are for tensile stresses or strains.
When the ’Fiber/Bar Property’ option is set, the data shown in the table is for the
selected fiber or reinforcing bar. To change the selected fiber or bar, click
desired fiber or bar. Use the zoom in and zoom out buttons on top of the
’Interactive Output’ dialog box to zoom in or zoom out of the graphic of the cross
section. The plot directly below the cross section shown shows the stress strain
relation of the selected fiber/bar. The small yellow ’+’ on each of the plots
indicates the location on the curves that correspond with the analysis step
selected from the slide bar at the top of the form. Using the slide bar, change the
analysis step and watch the figure and plots change. The ’Interactive Output’
dialog can be most helpful for troubleshooting analyses to find input errors when
results do not match expectation. Close the ’Interactive Output’ dialog. XTRACT -
Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 24
Figure 28. Interactive Output Dialog.

Plotting Results and Exporting Data

From the main toolbar, click the ’Add Graph’ icon (Figure 29). In these plots, any
data can be plot-

Figure 29. XTRACT Main Toolbar.

ted against any other data. In this form, plot the two axial force-moment
interaction diagrams together. Enter ’Interaction Surfaces’ for the ’Graph Name’.
Select ’Section1’ with loading ’PM1’. Select ’Moments about the X-Axis’ for the ’X-
Axis Data’ to plot and ’Axial Force’ for the ’Y-Axis Data’ to plot. Click the ’Add
Plot’ button. Then, using the same method, add the axial force-moment diagram
results ’Section2’ with the ’PM2’ loading (Figure 30). Note that when XTRACT -
Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 25
Figure 30. Graph Dialog Showing Comparison between the two Analyzed Cross Sections.

passing the mouse across the graph, critical data is updated in the table
reflecting results particular to the loading and the analysis step closest to the
mouse. To print this plot, click the ’Print’ icon on the Graph toolbar. To add more
plots, click the ’Add Graph’ button the Graph toolbar. There is no limit to the
number of plots that can be added in XTRACT. To access the plots after creating
them, and closing them, use the Project Manager (Figure 31). After closing the
’Interaction Surfaces’ plot, expand the ’Section Output’ folder under the ’MC2’
loading in the Project Manager. Double click ’Moments about the X-Axis’ then double
click the ’Curvatures about the X-Axis’ data labels. Double clicking data labels
opens the ’Project Output’ dialog box. In the ’Project Output’ dialog box, single
click the headers (Mxx and Kxx) for the columns of data (Figure 32) to highlight
them. To export the data, either click the ’Save’ button to save the data in a
comma delimited text file or right click the data, select copy, and paste directly
in to Excel or a similar type spread sheet program. XTRACT - Cross Sectional
Analysis of Structural Components - 26
Figure 31. Project Manager Showing Access to the Data Graphs.

Finally, to view or print the analysis reports, double click the ’Analysis Report’
icon in the Project Manager under the ’MC2’ loading (Figure 33). Analysis reports
are available for all loadings. In addition, similar material model reports are
available for all material models used in an XTRACT project. ’Material Reports’ are
available in the ’Materials’ folder in the Project Manager. For the analysis report
of a moment curvature analysis, a plot of the moment curvature analysis results
along with a bilinearization of the diagram is given. A color coded graphic showing
the last state in the analysis is also provided. In this report, any of the text
that is greyed can be user edited. This includes most of the headers as well as a
user comments section. For more information on particular data provided in the
analysis reports, consult the XTRACT help file.

Conclusion
In this example, a section was created using the template. The section was then
copied and edited. In the edited section, a hole was added to the center of the
cross section by changing modes in the

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 27

Figure 32. Data Viewer.

builder and importing a circular shape. Two moment curvatures and two axial force-
moment interaction loadings were added to the project and the sections were
analyzed with these project loadings. Using analysis results, plots were added to
the project to compare the axial force-moment interaction results for the nearly
identical cross sections. Data from moment curvature analysis on the section with
the hole was exported and the analysis was viewed in the ’Interactive Output’

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 28

Figure 33. Moment Curvature Analysis Report.

dialog showing the relationship between ultimate material stresses and applied x-
axis moments. Finally, the one page analysis report summary for the ’MC2’ loading
was opened and viewed.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 29

XTRACT
Cross Section Analysis Of Structural Components

Beginning Level - Example 2

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 1

Introduction
This beginning example (Example 2) outlines some of the basic features of XTRACT.
Before continuing with this example, it is advised that the reader go through the
Step-by-Step Example 1 file located from either the XTRACT folder in the Start
Menu, or the Help title bar in XTRACT. In this example, two oblong reinforced
concrete sections will be created and their response compared. The columns will be
transversely reinforced with interlocking spirals and longitudinally reinforced
with #11 reinforcing bars. Contents of this detailed example include: • Adding
material models to the project • Step-by-step instructions on creating a cross
section from a User Defined Section • How to change the dimensions of the cross
section after the section has been meshed • Running multiple moment curvature
analyses and moment-moment interaction analyses and comparing results

Creating a New Project

To create a new project, click the 'New' button ( ), or from the title bar drop-
down menu select ‘New’. When the ‘New Project’ icon is clicked the new project
wizard is opened. In this wizard, enter the information particular to the project.
Information entered here will be printed in the headers of the various output
reports that are generated by XTRACT after analysis. Click the ‘Forward’ button to
continue. The next page of the wizard defines how to begin the project (Figure 1).
Projects can begin from a section created with the section template, imported from
a file, or created from a blank slate (a XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of
Structural Components - 2
Figure 1. New Project Wizard - Page 2.

user defined section). In this example, the section will be created as a user
defined cross section. In the ‘Start From’ drop-down menu, select ‘User Defined’,
choose the kip-in unit system, and enter the section name as ‘Section1’. Click the
‘Begin XTRACT’ button.

Add Material Models

The New Project Wizard will immediately open the first material model. For this
example, because ‘Confined Concrete’ is selected, the user is taken to the ‘Mander
Confined Concrete’ model dialog box. In this material parameter input dialog form,
enter the values shown in Figure 2 and click the ‘Apply’ button. For this material
model, a 28-Day compression strength of 4ksi was assumed with a confined strength
of 6ksi. The confined concrete strength is a function of many parameters (See
XTRACT Help files for details). To find theoretical strength of the confined
concrete by entering these many parameters, click the ‘Equals’ sign next to the
‘Confined Concrete Strength’ text box. Alternatively, if the cross section meets
ACI requirements for seismic detailing, the overstrength due to confinement can be
assumed at a minimum of 1.3 times the 28-Day Strength. For bridge columns
conforming to current Caltrans requirements an overstrength of 1.5 may be assumed -
as XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 3
Figure 2. Mander Confined Concrete Dialog.

is done for this example. For this example, zero concrete tension strength was
assumed and the ‘Crushing Strain’ was taken as 0.015. If the section is detailed
properly, a minimum confined strain capacity of 0.015 can be assumed as is done for
this example. Alternatively, clicking the ‘Equal’ sign will allow a more detailed
calculation of this value. Lastly, the ‘Elastic Modulus’ and the ‘Yield Strain’
were taken as default values based on the 28-Day Strength. For more information on
the reasons for a user inputted yield strain the reader is advised to consult Step-
by-Step Example 1 or the XTRACT Help file. Once the model has been applied, it
becomes part of the project. To view materials in the project open the ‘Project
Manager’ and expand the materials folder (Figure 3). XTRACT - Cross Sectional
Analysis of Structural Components - 4
Figure 3. Project Manager.

After the material dialog box is closed, the blank ‘Section Builder’ is exposed.
For this example, two other material models need to be added - ‘Unconfined
Concrete’ and ‘Bilinear Steel with Strain Hardening’. From the ‘Materials’ drop-
down menu on the title bar, select ‘Mander Unconfined Concrete’. In this form,
enter the values shown in Figure 4. For a detailed description of the concrete
‘Yield Strain’ or the ‘Failure Strain’ consult the Step-by-Step Example 1 or the
XTRACT Help file. After entering the parameters, click the ‘Apply’ button and close
the form. From the ‘Materials’ drop-down menu select ‘Bilinear with Strain
Hardening’. On this form, select ‘A706’ from the ‘Steel Standard and Grade’ drop-
down menu and click the ‘Apply’ button to add this material model to the project.

Creating the Cross Section

After the materials have been added to the project the sections can be created. On
the ‘Builder Tools’ toolbar click the ‘Draw Shape’ icon ( ) to go into ‘Draw Shape’
mode. On the ‘Draw/ Import Shapes’ dialog click the ‘Import Shape’ tab. In this
form select ‘Oblong’ from the ‘Select Shape’ drop-down menu and enter 0.0 for both
the ‘X Location’ and ‘Y Location’ text boxes. Enter 0.0 for the rotation, 12.0 for
‘Width’ and 36.0 for the ‘Height’ as shown in Figure 5 (the project units should be
in kip-in). Use the vertical scroll bar to access text boxes that are obscured from
view. Note that the width of the oblong shape is defined from inside to inside of
the semi-circular

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 5

Figure 4. Mander Unconfined Material Model.

ends of the shape. Once the parameters have been entered, click the ‘Import’
button, then the ‘Discretize’ button. Upon clicking the ‘Discretize’ button, the
‘Discretizer’ dialog box will be opened. In the discretizer, enter the values shown
in Figure 6 and click the ‘Discretize/Overlay’ button. Then, on the ‘Builder Tools’
toolbar, click the ‘Zoom Section’ button ( ). On the ‘Section Builder’ the
discretized oblong shape, in unconfined concrete, should be seen as shown in Figure
7. In the ‘Draw/ Import Shape’ dialog box, select ‘Interlocking Spiral’ from the
‘Select Shape’ drop-down box and enter the values shown in Figure 8. Click the
‘Import’ button then the ‘Discretize’ button to disXTRACT - Cross Sectional
Analysis of Structural Components - 6
Figure 5. Add an Oblong Shape.

Figure 6. The Discretizer Dialog Box.

cretize the shape within the cross section. In the ‘Discretizer’ dialog, select the
option for ‘No Cover’, enter 2.0 for the mesh size, and select ‘Confined1’ as the
’Section Material’. Click the ’Discretize/Overlay’ button to discretize the shape.
On the ’Section Builder’ the cross section shown in Figure 9 should be seen. User
defined sections need to created from the outside in. For this example, the outside
was created all in unconfined concrete and the inside was created in confined
concrete. A thorough explanation of the ‘Order of Section Creation’ is available in
the XTRACT Help file. XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components -
7
Figure 7. Discretized Oblong Section.

Figure 8. Add an Interlocking Spiral Shape.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 8

Figure 9. Discretized Interlocking Spiral Shape.

Copy and Resize the Cross Section

Before adding any steel to the cross section, the section is to be copied and
resized. To copy the section, click the ‘Add/Remove Section’ button on the main
toolbar ( ). In the ‘Add/Remove Section’ dialog, select the ‘As a copy of’ option
in the ‘Add Section’ frame, enter ‘Section2’ as the

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 9

‘Section Name’ and click the ‘Add Section’ button as shown in Figure 10. Set
‘Section2’ as the

Figure 10. Add/Remove Section Dialog Box.

active section by single clicking the section name (‘Section2’) in the ‘Project
Manager’. To change the geometry of the cross section, click the ‘Remesh Mode’ icon
on the ‘Builder Tools’ toolbar ( ). In the ‘Remesh Section’ dialog box click the
mouse icon to select specific points in the shape as shown in Figure 11. On the
‘Section Builder’, select the four points as shown in

Figure 11. Remesh Section Dialog Box.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 10

Figure 12 by clicking them once with the mouse. After selecting the four points to
move, click the

Figure 12. Select the Points to Move on the Section Builder.

‘Move Points’ icon on the ‘Remesh Section’ dialog (

). Then, either grab any of the selected

points and move them 6 inches to the right or enter 6.0 in the ‘Delta X’ text box.
Use the ‘Scroll Shape’ and ‘Scroll Point’ buttons until one of the selected points
is highlighted with the larger yellow circle, then click the ‘Modify Point(s)’
button (Figure 13). Repeat this procedure for the intersecting points of the inside
interlocking spiral shape (Figure 14) but move those points just 3 inches to the
right. To un-select a single point, click the selected point while the ‘Select’
icon is depressed ( the points, click the ‘Move Shape’ icon ( Then click the ‘Move
Point’ icon ( ) in the ‘Remesh Section’ dialog box. To un-select all ) then click
back to the ‘Select’ icon. Next, click

the word ‘SNAP’ in the bottom left side of the builder and change the snap distance
to 1.0 inch. ) on the ‘Remesh Section’ dialog box, grab the top intersecting point
and move it downward 1.0 inch to coordinates (3, 14.37). Grab the bottom
intersection point and move it upwards 1.0 inch to coordinates (3, -14.37). After
relocating the shape points, click the ‘Discretize All’ button to remesh the entire
cross section with the new dimensions.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 11

Figure 13. Remesh Dialog used to Modify Existing Section Coordinates.

Figure 14. Select the Points to Move on the Section Builder.

Generating Steel Reinforcing Bars

With the two section created, the longitudinal reinforcing steel needs to be added.
First, single click ‘Section1’ in the ‘Project Manager’ to set ‘Section1’ as the
active section bringing it into XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural
Components - 12
view. Then, to enter into the ‘Add Reinforcing Bars’ mode click the ‘Add
Reinforcing Bars’ mode icon on the ‘Builder Tools’ toolbar ( ). In the ‘Rebar
Characteristics’ box, select bar size as #11, select the ‘Enter by Coordinates’ and
the ‘Generate’ icons, select the option to ‘Generate by Number’, and enter 8 as the
number of bars (Figure 15). In the ‘Enter Generation Points by Coordi-

Figure 15. Rebar Characteristics.

nates’ dialog box, click the ‘Stop’ icon in the bottom right side corner of the
form to prevent interaction between the mouse and the screen. On the ‘Builder
Tools’ toolbar, click the ‘Arc’ icon ( ) to generate the bars around an arc.

In the ‘Enter Generation Points by Coordinates’ dialog input the values as shown in
Figure 16, then click the Apply button. The coordinates were found from the total
width of the interior circular shape (18in radius) less the cover (1.5in) less the
assumed diameter of the transverse reinforcing steel (0.5in) less half the diameter
of a #11 reinforcing bar. To enter the reinforcing bars for the other side of the
left circular shape, change the X-Coordinate in the second bar text box to -21.31
and click the ‘Apply’ button. The first and last bars that were overlapping were
removed then reapplied resulting in a total of 14 longitudinal reinforcing bars as
shown in Figure 17. To add the longitudinal bars in the other transverse
reinforcing spiral, repeat the above procedure using the appropriate coordinates.
After completion, the section should appear as shown in Figure 18. XTRACT - Cross
Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 13
Figure 16. Generating Longitudinal Reinforcement.

Figure 17. Cross Section with Generated Rebar.

Again, following the same procedure for bar generation around an arc performed for
‘Section1’, add the double spiral of longitudinal reinforcing bars to ‘Section2’
(Figure 19). Save the file.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 14

Figure 18. Cross Section with Generated Rebar - Section1.

Figure 19. Cross Section with Generated Rebar - Section2.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 15

Add Moment Curvature Analyses in the Input File
In this section, one moment curvature analysis will be added within the user
interface to each section (Section1 and Section2). Then, the input file will be
opened and multiple moment curvatures will be added. From the title bar ‘Loading’
menu, select ‘Moment Curvature’. Enter the loading parameters shown in Figure 20
and click ‘Apply’. Change the ‘On Section’ drop-down menu to ‘Section2’,

Figure 20. Moment Curvature Loading for Section1

re-enter the same loading data shown in Figure 20 with the loading name of ‘MCs1’
and click the ‘Apply’ button. Save the file and close XTRACT.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 16

From WordPad, open the file and scroll down to the loading block for ‘Section1’,
‘MC1’ (Figure 21). Highlight this block of text, copy and paste. In the pasted
loading block, change the
Begin_Loading NAME = MC1 TYPE = Moment Curvature # Constant loads applied at first
step - negative is read as compression. ConstAxial = -100.0 # Incrementing load
parameters - Positive increments in a positive direction. IncMyy = 1.0000
Use_Best_Fit = True # Include Plastic Hinge length. Calc_Moment_Rot = False #
Analysis Parameters. Method = BiSection N_Steps_Before_Yield = 10
N_Steps_After_Yield = 20 Multiple_On_First_Yield = 2 BS_Tol = 1.0000 BS_Max_Itter =
40 End_Loading #--------------------------------------Figure 21. Loading Block in
the Input File.

loading name to ‘MC2’ and the ‘ConstAxial’ value to -2000. Repeat four times (MC3
with -3000, MC4 with -4000). Next, highlight the loading block of text for
‘Section2’, ‘MCs1’ and repeat the steps outlined above with: • NAME = MCs2
ConstAxial = -2000 • NAME = MCs3 ConstAxial = -3000 • NAME = MCs4 ConstAxial =
-4000 Save the file and re-open in XTRACT. Open the ‘Project Manager’ to verify
that the various loadings were imported correctly.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 17

Capacity Orbit Analyses
To add a capacity orbit analysis, or moment-moment interaction analysis, select
‘Capacity Orbit’ from the ‘Loading’ title menu. Enter the name as ‘CO1y’, enter
1000k as the applied axial load, and select the ‘Analyze at first material yield
option’ (Figure 22). Repeat for the following loads

Figure 22. Capacity Orbit for Section 1.

on the following sections: • Section = ‘Section1’ Name = ‘CO1u’ Axial Load = 1000k
Orbit Option = ‘Analyze at ultimate material strains’ • Section = ‘Section2’ Name =
‘CO2y’ Axial Load = 1000k Orbit Option = ‘Analyze at first material yield option’ •
Section = ‘Section2’ Name = ‘CO2u’ Axial Load = 1000k Orbit Option = ‘Analyze at
ultimate material strains’ XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural
Components - 18
The moment-moment interaction surface analyzes the cross section at a number of
points specified by the ‘Number of Points’ input parameter. Analysis is performed
on the cross section at varying angles of loading with the principal bending axis
ranging from 0 to 360 degrees. For each analysis, one of the target strains
specified for each of the materials will be reached but not exceeded. By specifying
the first yield criterion this will result in a moment-moment yield surface. By
specifying the ultimate material strains, the ultimate moment-moment interaction
surface can be found for the given target axial load. In this project there should
be 2 sections each with 6 applied loadings - 4 moment curvatures and 2 capacity
orbits. Click the ‘Analyze’ icon ( ) from the main toolbar to run the analyses.

Viewing Results
After closing the analysis display windows, click the ‘Add Graph’ icon ( ) to add
graph to the project. In the graph dialog box, change the name to ‘Sec1 Moment
Curv’ and add the ‘Curvatures about the Y-Axis’ data on the X-Axis and ‘Moments
about the Y-Axis’ on the Y-Axis. Repeat for all moment curvature loadings applied
on ‘Section1’ (Figure 23). This can be repeated for the moment curvature analyses
performed on ‘Section2’ allowing comparison of results from the two sections. The
comparison of moment curvature results for varying axial loads applied on
‘Section1’ shown in Figure 23 reveals that there is a higher moment capacity as the
axial load is increased (both at yield and ultimate limit states); however, with
increasing axial load there is a decrease in curvature capacity. Add a graph called
‘Capacity Orbit Curv’ (Figure 24) - in this graph plot the ‘Curvatures about the X-
Axis’ on the Y-Axis of the chart against the ‘Curvatures about the Y-Axis’ on the
X-Axis of the chart. Repeat for both ultimate analysis on both cross sections. This
chart suggests that ‘Section1’ has more deformation capacity when loaded to the
left (bending about the strong axis) where as ‘Section2’ has more deformation
capacity when loaded upwards (bending about the weak axis).

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 19

Figure 23. Moment Curvatures for Section 1.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 20

Figure 24. Graph of X and Y axes curvatures from the Capacity Orbit analyses.

Conclusion
This step-by-step example file has demonstrated to the reader how to create a user
defined cross section. The example has also demonstrated the use of the remesher
and generation of longitudinal reinforcing bars. In addition, the input file was
opened and manipulated within a text editor and multiple analyses were performed.
For more information on specific details not contained within this example, consult
the XTRACT.hlp.

XTRACT - Cross Sectional Analysis of Structural Components - 21