About the Building Structural Design Section

Description

The applications in this section provide templates for solving typical

problems encountered in the structural design of buildings. Each
application includes a description of the problem, a description of the
application, one or more sketches, an input section, a list of computed
variables, and a section for calculations. Most of the applications have
a summary section which list all input and computed variables.
Reinforced concrete applications also include a material properties
section where the user may specify the strength and unit weight of the
concrete and the yield strength of the reinforcement.

In the Input section of most applications, the user will need to change the
variables to modify the application for each particular problem. When
necessary, material properties such as concrete strength and unit weight,
or defined constants such as reinforcing bar clearances or multiples used
for rounding dimensions, may also be changed. The user may then either
follow the steps of the application page by page or skip directly to the
Summary at the end of the section. In the Calculations section of some
documents, notes are provided to indicate where the user may replace
values of variables that were preselected by the application.

Many of the applications will compute solutions for a number of

elements in a single run. The more complex applications accept
input for only one element and, consequently, only compute
solutions for the one element entered. For example, the Spread
Footings application can compute design solutions for all the
footings of a project in a single run, whereas the Retaining Wall
applications compute design solutions for one wall for each run of
the application.
Since everything in a Mathcad document is visible, a user can alter the
assumptions, constants, or equations of the application and create a
customized application. If the user would like to change a particular
value or assumption, or if there is a minor code revision, the user can
simply modify the customized version of the application.
Topics
The applications cover the following topics:

Analysis of Simple Beams and Beams with End Moments

Section Properties of Composite Steel Beams,
Built Up Steel Sections, and Reinforced Concrete Sections
Structural Steel and Reinforced Concrete Columns
Effective Length Factors, Critical Loads, Moment Magnification
Continuous Reinforced Concrete Beams and Slabs
Reinforced Concrete Flat Plates
Spread Footings and Pile Caps
Retaining Walls and Anchored Bulkheads
Reinforced Concrete Material Properties,
Development and Splice Lengths of Reinforcing Bars
Wind and Seismic Loads on Buildings
Steel Column Base Plates
Shear Stud Capacities

Standards
The applications used in this book are based on the following
design standards:
Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete
and Commentary
(ACI 318-89) (Revised 1992)
American Concrete Institute
Box 19150, Redford Station
Detroit, Michigan 48219
Manual of Steel Construction -- Allowable Stress Design
Part 5: Specifications for Structural Steel Buildings --
Allowable Stress Design and Plastic Design, June 1,
1989, with Commentary
American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc.
400 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
60611-41853
Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and
Other Structures, ASCE 7-93 (Revision of ANSI/ASCE 7-88)
American Society of Civil Engineers,
345 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017-2398
Uniform Building Code, 1991 Edition
International Conference of Building Officials
5360 South Workman Mill Road, Whittier, California 90601
References

Design Manual Soil Mechanics, Foundations, and Earth

Structures, NAVFAC DM-7
Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering
Command
Alexandria VA, March 1971
Engineering Journal, American Institute of Steel Construction
American Institute of Steel Construction
One East Wacker Drive, Suite 3100
Chicago, IL, 60601-2001
Reinforced Concrete Fundamentals, 3rd Edition
by Phil M. Ferguson
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
New York, New York

Acknowledgments
The author gratefully acknowledges the editor, Andy Saunders
formally of Mathsoft Engineering & Education, Inc. who provided
valuable advise and assistance on the organization and design of
this section.
The author is also thankful to T. Chris Evensen, P.E., a civil
engineer for Kennedy/Jenks Consultants in Federal Way,
Washington, for his careful review of the applications, and
suggestions for improving the technical clarity and presentation
of this book.
Permission for use of formulae and notation of Building Code
Requirements for Reinforced Concrete (ACI 318-89) (Revised
1992) in this section was granted by the American Concrete
Institute.

Permission for use of AISC Specification formulae and notation in this

section was granted by the American Institute of Steel Construction,
Inc.
Permission for use of the information in Section 9.1, Wind Loads
Using ASCE Standard 7-93, and Section 9.2, Seismic Loads Using
ASCE Standard 7-93 was granted by ASCE, 1994.
The formulas used in Section 9.3, Seismic Loads Using Uniform
Building Code ' 91 are reproduced from the 1991 edition of the
Uniform Building CodeTM, copyright ©1991, with the permission of
the publisher, the Int ernational Conference of Building Officials.
Author's Note

The applications presented in this section have been prepared

in accordance with recognized engineering principles, and are
for the purpose of demonstrating Mathcad's capabilities as
applied to the structural design of buildings and other
structures. While a reasonable effort has been made to verify
the accuracy and adequacy of these applications, their
accuracy, suitability and applicability to specific designs must
be verified by a licensed professional engineer or a registered
architect. Anyone making use of these applications must
assume all liability for their use.

Units

U.S. customary and SI unit systems have been used for the
calculations in this section. All applications are also available in
both Mathcad 14 and 15, and Mathcad Prime versions.

About the Author

The author, Thomas Magner, a graduate of Manhattan College, is

a practicing Professional Engineer and a Member of the American
Society of Civil Engineers. Mr. Magner has 30 years experience
in the structural design, investigation, and evaluation of
commercial, institutional and industrial buildings and structures
located throughout the United States.