Orion V18

What’s New
(Essential Reading
for all users)

2013 Version 18.0sp3

September Delivered by
Contents

Contents
Contents ............................................................................................................................................ 2
What’s New in Orion 18.0 sp3 – September 2013................................................................................ 3
Enhancements in sp3 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Beam detailing ................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Adjusted shear area properties in FE column head model ............................................................................................. 3
Editing beam level data in data tables ............................................................................................................................ 3
Fixes in sp3 ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Run time error after analysis of piled mat foundation .................................................................................................... 4
Un-rounded link spacing in beam design ........................................................................................................................ 4
Eigenvalue analysis – number of modes ......................................................................................................................... 4
Eigenvalue analysis failure............................................................................................................................................... 4
What’s New in Orion 18.0 – May 2013 ................................................................................................ 5
Highlights ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Beam Design for Torsion ................................................................................................................................................................ 5
Torsion design to BS8110, CP65 (Singapore) and HK-2004 (Hong Kong) ........................................................................ 5
Torsion design to Eurocode 2 .......................................................................................................................................... 6
Torsion Detailing ............................................................................................................................................................. 6
NEW Polyline Column Editor ......................................................................................................................................................... 7
The Polyline Column Editor Interface .............................................................................................................................. 7
Overview of the Steel Layout toolbar.............................................................................................................................. 8
Batch FE Beam Load Decomposition ............................................................................................................................................. 9
Column centreline modeling in building analysis ........................................................................................................................ 10
Automatic cantilever marking ..................................................................................................................................................... 12
Column perimeter modelling in FE Raft Foundation Analysis ..................................................................................................... 13
Other Enhancements ................................................................................................................................................................... 14
FE Meshing .................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Slab Specific Subgrade Reactions in FE Raft Foundation Analysis ................................................................................. 14
Member Tables.............................................................................................................................................................. 15
Model Export Options ................................................................................................................................................... 15
Update Same Label Beam at other Floors ..................................................................................................................... 15
Generate Members to Other Storeys ............................................................................................................................ 15
Beam Design and Detailing ............................................................................................................................................ 15
Column/Wall Design and Detailing................................................................................................................................ 16
Templates ...................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Slab Design .................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Punching shear check .................................................................................................................................................... 17
Punching shear check at foundation level ..................................................................................................................... 18
Refinement of Beam-Column Joint Check (Hong Kong) ................................................................................................ 18
Foundation Beams ......................................................................................................................................................... 18
Removal of FE Column nodal loads ............................................................................................................................... 18
Column Labelling ........................................................................................................................................................... 18
Fixes in 18.0 ................................................................................................................................................................................. 18

2013 Version 18.0sp3

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Enhancements in sp3

What’s New in Orion 18.0 sp3 – September 2013

Please note that service pack 2 was not put on general release.

Enhancements in sp3
Beam detailing
On the detail drawings, extension and lap dimensions are now rounded to the total bar length rounding step, whereas in
previous releases they were being rounded to the nearest 5mm.

To illustrate the effect of this change, consider the example below:

Typical 18.0sp3 detail (in which the bar length rounding step has been set to 50mm)

The same detail produced in 18.0sp1 for comparison

This enhancement has been made in response to user feedback so that drawings do not have to be manually edited in order
to indicate more rounded lapping and anchorage lengths.

Although the extension and lap dimensions are now displayed differently on the drawings, the total bar length reported in
the schedule is unchanged from previous releases.

Adjusted shear area properties in FE column head model

When the option to include column sections is applied, the rigid members used to model the column head were previously
assigned a shear area equal to 5/6 of the column area. Consequently some degree of shear deformation was possible across
the column head. To prevent this, in 18.0sp3 a value of shear area is explicitly assigned which in general eliminates such
shear deformations.

Editing beam level data in data tables

The functionality for editing the beam level data for multiple beams via data tables has been improved to cater for the input
of negative values of ‘h-top’.

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Fixes in sp3

Fixes in sp3
Run time error after analysis of piled mat foundation
Following FE analysis of a piled mat foundation, closing the post-processor by clicking OK to transfer the results would cause
a run time error 9 to be displayed. This error has now been corrected.

Un-rounded link spacing in beam design

In a very small number of cases, the designed beam link spacing was not being rounded correctly to the spacing step
specified in the beam design settings. This error has now been corrected.

Eigenvalue analysis – number of modes

In the previous release you could not re-set the desired number of modes after the first analysis run. This error has now been
corrected.

Eigenvalue analysis failure

A model specific problem that prevented successful completion of eigenvalue analysis has been corrected.

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Highlights

What’s New in Orion 18.0 – May 2013

Highlights
Orion 18.0sp1 contains several completely new features and a significant number of enhancements:
• Beams now designed for torsion
• New polyline column editor
• Batch FE beam load decomposition
• New column centreline modelling in Building Analysis
• Enhanced automatic cantilever marking
• New column perimeter modelling in FE raft foundation analysis
• Plus numerous other enhancements….

Beam Design for Torsion

This is a significant new feature which has been implemented for all the available design codes.

Torsion design to BS8110, CP65 (Singapore) and HK-2004 (Hong Kong)

These three codes of practice share an almost identical method for the design of beams subjected to torsion. For each there
is a limiting value of shear stress due to the applied torque below which the effects of torsion can be ignored. When the
torque exceeds the limit the effects torsion are considered and if required torsion links are now provided.
The new torsion calculations for the above codes are included in the beam design report as shown below:

The extra terms for torsion design being:

Td = maximum torsional moment
vt = torsional shear stress
vt-min = minimum torsional shear stress, below which the effects of torsion can be ignored
As-T = area of longitudinal torsion reinforcement required

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Beam Design for Torsion

Torsion design to Eurocode 2

The procedure to EC2 for determining whether or not torsional effects need to be considered is more complex. Minimum
shear reinforcement can only be provided if the combination of the ratio of ‘direct shear stress/shear resistance of the
concrete without shear reinforcement’ plus the ratio of ‘shear stress due to torsion/torsional cracking stress’ is less than 1.0.
The new torsion calculations for the Eurocode 2 are included in the beam design report as shown below:

The extra terms for torsion design being:

Td = maximum torsional moment
T-min = ignorable limit for torsional moment
t-RdC = torsional cracking stress
Str.Ratio = combined stress ratio - if less than 1.0 then only min. shear reinforcement needs to be provided.
As-T = area of longitudinal torsion reinforcement required

Torsion Detailing

In the above detail you can see that, to meet torsion design requirements:
• side bars have added
• the outer link is a single closed torsion link
• torsion links are indicated on the elevation by inclusion of ‘(T)’ in the bar mark

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NEW Polyline Column Editor

NEW Polyline Column Editor

This is a major enhancement which now provides a means to define a reinforcement layout in not only polyline columns, but
also rectangular/parallelogram columns prior to a check or design.
• When checked - the specified layout and bar sizes are both fixed.
• When designed - the specified layout is fixed, but the bar sizes are incremented to achieve a solution.
The main benefits of using the new Polyline Column Editor are:
• It is no longer necessary to perform an initial design in order to access a first pass steel layout, (which can often turn
out to be unsuitable, needing to be reviewed and amended interactively).
• Using the new editor, bars can rapidly be positioned, either automatically or manually.
• It can be used to specify the layout in rectangular or parallelogram columns as well as polyline columns.

The Polyline Column Editor Interface

The existing commands for defining the column perimeter have all been retained and are located on the ‘Edit Section’
toolbar. Extra commands for positioning the steel bars can be found on the new ‘Steel Layout’ toolbar.

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NEW Polyline Column Editor

Overview of the Steel Layout toolbar

The buttons on this toolbar enable you to set up a practical steel layout efficiently in advance of a check or design.
Button Command Function Notes
Automatic Automatically positions longitudinal bars and links Displayed for rectangular/
Containment within the section. parallelogram columns only.
All Links Automatically positions links within the section. Displayed for non-rectangular
columns only.
All Bars Once links have been defined, this button automatically Displayed for non-rectangular
positions longitudinal bars within the links. columns only.
Move Origin This button can be used to move the origin position. The origin defines the section
location in relation to the
insertion axes
Delete Steel Deletes all existing longitudinal bars shown within the
Bars section.
Delete Steel Deletes all existing longitudinal bars and links shown
Bars and links within the section.
Corner Bar Used for manually placing corner bars within the The polyline column editor
section. cannot be used to define wall
Web Steel Used for manually placing web steel within the section. panels.
Mesh Steel Used for manually placing mesh steel within the section. The options shown on the left
can only be used where
Closed Link Sets the default link to ‘Closed’ components of a polyline column
Straight Link Sets the default link to ‘Straight’ have a wall aspect ratio.
U Link Sets the default link to ‘U Link’

When a four sided column is passed into the Polyline Column Editor the Automatic Confinement button becomes available.
When it is clicked, the dialog shown below is opened; this can then be used to specify both the layout and bar sizes for the
selected column.

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Batch FE Beam Load Decomposition

Batch FE Beam Load Decomposition

FE Beam Load Decomposition can now be performed for the whole building in a single batch run, (previously it was necessary
to select and then mesh every floor interactively). This will be of particular benefit where many floors have to be considered.

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Column centreline modeling in building analysis

Column centreline modeling in building analysis

For the building analysis model created in previous releases, the column analysis wire would be positioned at the axis
intersection point; in release 18.0 it is now shifted to the true column centroid, with rigid links being created for beam
connectivities, running from column centroid to the beam insertion point.
As a consequence the user is freer to simplify gridline layout in order to create the structure effectively, and then employ
column eccentricities, (e1 and e2) to position each column exactly; knowing that during analysis the program automatically
assumes the column is located at its centroid as shown in the plan view.
The example shown below is used to illustrate the change. The example model features a 1000mm wide transfer beam
supporting a 500mm square column positioned flush with the outside face of the beam. Vertical load is applied to the
transfer column from the beams above.

The model is created in release 17.0sp6 and then analysed - the results are then compared with those obtained in release 18.

Model creation and building analysis (in release 17.0sp6)

The model is initially created with a simple grid layout.
The beam and its supporting columns are placed centrally on the grid, the transfer column is placed on the same grid with a
column eccentricity (e2 = 250) to offset the column centroid.

In release 17.0sp6 (and other previous

releases)….
Having performed building analysis, the
diagram to the right shows that there are
no out of plane bending moments.
Because the column analysis wire gets
positioned at the axis intersection point, the
eccentricity of the beam end reactions at
the top of the column is ignored – as a
consequence no moments are generated
out of the plane of the frame.

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Column centreline modeling in building analysis

In order for the eccentricity of the loading to be taken into account it is necessary to refine the original model. This is
achieved by introducing a second parallel grid (A1) to offset the transfer column centroid. For the transfer column to be
properly supported in this situation it is also necessary to split the transfer beam into two elements.

Having remodelled the frame as described,

it can be reanalysed in release 17.0sp6.
As can be seen when the out of plane
bending moments are reviewed, the
eccentricity of the beam end reactions is
now taken into account.
A rigid arm automatically connects each
beam to the column centroid causing out of
plane moments to be generated in the
column.

Building Analysis in Release 18.0sp1

The original model with the simple grid layout can be re-analysed.

In release 18.0sp1…
Because the analysis wire is always shifted
to the true column centroid, the out of
plane moments are generated without
having to refine the original model.
Note: Although the analysis wire is shifted
for analysis, in the post-processor view, as
can be seen, it is still displayed at the
original insertion point.

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Automatic cantilever marking

Automatic cantilever marking

This area has been significantly enhanced:
• Cantilevers are now automatically marked as you build the model.

• Consequently during analysis it is much less likely that any cantilevers needing to be marked will be found – but if any
are located the messaging at this point is improved to give a printable list, making it then easier to check which potential
cantilevers need to be marked.

• The operation of the “Set Beam Support Conditions” option you get when you right click on the beam group in the
structure tree is changed – previously it only deleted all cantilever marks – now it will delete them and reset them to the
automatic selections.

• Bug Fix - The analysis setting option to switch off the checking of cantilevers (shown below) now works, it had stopped
working in the previous release.

• Enhancement/Adjustment – where two potential cantilever beams meet at a point, only one is marked automatically;
however in previous releases, the one that was chosen was not always the most obvious. In response to user feedback
the method of selection in this specific situation has been improved.

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Column perimeter modelling in FE Raft Foundation
Analysis

Column perimeter modelling in FE Raft Foundation Analysis

The option to include column sections (which was previously only available at upper storeys) is now available at the raft level.
This results in a better model which removes “peak” moments at column nodes – consequently a more economical design
can be produced.

Rigid members are added around the column boundary, which also connect to the column centroid, (in the same way as at
upper storeys). Note that load from the column is always applied at its centroid rather than at its insertion point,
(irrespective of whether column sections are included or not).
To illustrate this point, consider the two rafts shown below. Both are loaded at their exact centres by a single centrally
positioned column. The only difference being that different insertion axes are used for each as follows:
• Insertion axes for the left hand column are at the column centre (e1 = e2 = 500)
• Insertion axes for the right hand column are at the top right corner of the column (e1 = e2 = 1000)

The two models produce identical results as shown below:

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Other Enhancements

Other Enhancements
FE Meshing
• A number of previously logged meshing issues have been resolved in the release.

Slab Specific Subgrade Reactions in FE Raft Foundation Analysis

In previous versions, if you specified a different subgrade coefficient for an individual slab in the slab properties dialog, it
would always be taken into account when the FE model is generated.

In release 18 you now have added flexibility to perform the analysis if required using a uniform subgrade coefficient, without
having to reset the individual values previously assigned to specific slabs.

• When the above option is checked, the individual soil subgrade coefficients specified on each slab’s property dialog
are used so that you can cater for different soil conditions across the site.
• When the above option is unchecked, the soil subgrade coefficient specified on the Floor Mesh and Analysis dialog is
applied to all slabs, over-riding slab specific values.

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Other Enhancements

Member Tables
• Top level of slabs (Del-Z) has been added to the Slabs member table to facilitate editing. Also, column editing in
member tables has been enhanced when a drop down is offered so the user is not restricted to the drop down
values.

Model Export Options

• An export option for SAP2000 R15 has been added for both the Building Analysis and FE Floor Analysis models.

Update Same Label Beam at other Floors

This feature was previously introduced for columns only in release 17.0sp1 but has now been extended to work for beams
also. It enables the copying of a beam’s section properties to the same label beam at other floors and is accessed via a new
button on the Beam Properties, as shown below.

When the button is checked (as shown above) and the Update button is pressed, a dialog is displayed listing beams with the
same label in other storeys.

This is a multi-select list; if you mark the other floors, cross-section properties are also updated in all the beams marked.

Generate Members to Other Storeys

• During wall generation to other storeys, the beams in the target storey can now be deleted automatically (when the
replace existing elements in target storey option is checked).

Beam Design and Detailing

• A number of minor fixes/adjustments have been implemented in beam detailing.

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Other Enhancements

• In beam design the ‘Ctrl’ key can now be used to select multiple rows to paste steel to in a single operation:

o Select the source row and click ’Copy Bars’

o Press ‘Ctrl’ while selecting multiple destination rows
o Click ‘Paste Bars’
• The keyboard shortcuts ‘Ctrl-C’ and ‘Ctrl-V’ are now supported for copying and pasting steel bars.
(R18 development work which we chose to release early in R17 sp5)

• Beam Axis Editing was previously prevented for axes containing curved beams. “Beam not included in any axis”
messages would be displayed incorrectly if you attempted to add/remove curved beams from axes. In response to
user feedback the program has been enhanced to allow beam axis editing for axes containing curved beams.
(R18 development work which we chose to release early in R17 sp1)

Column/Wall Design and Detailing

• A number of fixes/adjustments have been implemented in the wall detailing - many bar clashes have been
addressed in the wall detailing and splicing of lateral bars added when length exceeds 12m.
• In column/wall design the ‘Ctrl’ key can now be used to select multiple rows to paste steel to in a single operation:

o Select the source row and click ’Copy Bars’

o Press ‘Ctrl’ while selecting multiple destination rows
o Click ‘Paste Bars’
• The keyboard shortcuts ‘Ctrl-C’ and ‘Ctrl-V’ are now supported for copying and pasting steel bars.
(R18 development work which we chose to release early in R17 sp5)

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Other Enhancements

• For column design the detail drawing settings now include a new ‘Starter Bars Length Factor’. The starter bar length
will be calculated as a multiple of the bar diameter, or according to code requirements when the field is zero.

(R18 development work which we chose to release early in R17 sp1)

Templates
• In the Ireland (Eurocode) template, the default load combination set is now based on a Max. G Factor of 1.35 instead
of 1.25.
• In all of the Eurocode templates, the default factors for slab steel extension lengths at interior and exterior supports
have been standardised at 0.30xL and 0.2xL respectively.
(R18 development work which we chose to release early in R17 sp1)

Slab Design
• The slab steel bob length which was previously fixed at 300mm is now user definable on the Steel Bars tab in Slab
Design Settings.
(R18 development work which we chose to release early in R17 sp5)

Punching shear check

• The general perimeter reduction length is no longer limited to a maximum of 999mm.
(R18 development work which we chose to release early in R17 sp5)

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Fixes in 18.0

Punching shear check at foundation level

• This has now been enhanced to consider all load combinations and not just the (G+Q)*F combination.
(R18 development work which we chose to release early in R17 sp5)

Refinement of Beam-Column Joint Check (Hong Kong)

• Based on initial feedback the reinforcement overstrength factor is no longer fixed at 1.25; refer to the revised design
procedure section 1.1 on page 363 of the Engineer’s Handbook.
(R18 development work which we chose to release early in R17 sp1)

Foundation Beams
• At the foundation storey you can now insert multiple beams in one go by dragging between grid points under walls
and columns. When a wall running in the same direction as the beams to be inserted is encountered, a Yes/No
prompt is issued to ask whether these beams are for a strip footing insertion. If the answer is ‘Yes’ then a beam is
inserted from the start of the wall to the next support (which ensures the wall load is correctly handled in strip
design). If the answer is ‘No’ then a beam is inserted directly under the wall (and a warning is displayed if a strip is
subsequently inserted).
(R18 development work which we chose to release early in R17 sp1)

Removal of FE Column nodal loads

• When you use FE beam load decomposition in order to calculate slab loads, any isolated columns attached to the
slab have FE nodal loads applied automatically. If you subsequently switch to yield line decomposition, in previous
releases you would have been required to manually remove these loads. A new feature has been added which
detects the FE nodal loads and gives you the option to remove them.
(R18 development work which we chose to release early in R17 sp1)

Column Labelling
• On the Settings menu, the ‘Member and Steel Bar Label Templates’ form contains a new option under ‘Column Label
Settings’ which allows you to control the location of the column size text in relation to the column label.
(R18 development work which we chose to release early in R17 sp1)

Fixes in 18.0
• A number of stability issues and fixes with non-critical design consequences have been addressed.

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