DECREATOR

Generation of Design Elements

SOFiSTiK | 2020
 DECREATOR
Generation of Design Elements

DECREATOR Manual, Service Pack 2020-6 Build 289

Copyright © 2020 by SOFiSTiK AG, Oberschleissheim, Germany.

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The manual and the program have been thoroughly checked for errors. However, SOFiSTiK does not claim that
either one is completely error free. Errors and omissions are corrected as soon as they are detected.

The user of the program is solely responsible for the applications. We strongly encourage the user to test the
correctness of all calculations at least by random sampling.

Front Cover
Project: Queensferry Crossing | Photo: Bastian Kratzke
 Contents | DECREATOR

Contents

Contents i

1 Design Elements 1-1

1.1 Transfers from Beam Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
1.1.1 Transfer of loads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
1.1.2 Transfer of forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
1.1.3 Transfer of tendon geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
1.2 Transfers from Quad Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
1.2.1 Interpolation of forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
1.2.2 Transformation of forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
1.2.3 Integration of forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
1.2.4 Prestressed Quads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
1.3 Transfers from Volume Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
1.3.1 Interpolation of stresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
1.3.2 Integration of forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
1.4 Cross Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
1.5 Intended Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
1.6 Use Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
1.6.1 Beam element models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
1.6.2 Quad element models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
1.6.3 Hybrid models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
1.6.4 Seismic design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17

2 Input Description 2-1

2.1 Input Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
2.2 Input Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
2.3 DSLN – Design Element along SLN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
2.3.1 Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
2.4 DGEO – Geometry of design element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
2.4.1 Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
2.5 DSEL – Element selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
2.5.1 Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
2.6 DSLC – Design sections along the design element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
2.7 LC – Selection of load cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
2.8 DDEL – Element Deletion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
2.8.1 Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
2.9 ECHO – Control of output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
2.10 CTRL – Control of calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15

Literature 2-17

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ii SOFiSTiK 2020
 Design Elements | DECREATOR

1 Design Elements

The program DECREATOR generates the so called design elements along structural members.
Design elements are independent of a member’s finite element discretization and help define
design sections at any chosen position along a structural line. For instance, shear force can
be obtained at user-defined sections positioned at offsets from supporting faces of a beam,
whether or not nodal results from finite elements are available at these positions.

In other words, design elements enable designing at the level of structural lines, which rep-
resent structural members, rather than at finite element levels. DECREATOR, therefore, en-
hances subsequent design procedures (i.e. in AQB) by using definitions and analysis results
from other SOFiSTiK program modules and transfering finite-element results to design sec-
tions.

In the following section, the methods behind the transfers, concerning beam and quadrilateral
(quad) finite elements, are briefly discussed first. Next, emphasis is given on design elements’
behaviour regarding cross sections, which are important for design. Then a short overview
about the role of DECREATOR in a typical design workflow, supplemented with application
procedures for typical use cases are covered. At the end of this chapter, some limitations of
the program modul are stated.

1.1 Transfers from Beam Elements

The application of design elements for structures modelled with beam finite elements involves
transfer of applied loads, interpolation of the analysed internal actions and, whenever appli-
cable, interpolation of the geometry of pre-stressing tendons from nodes to design sections.
Trasfer from beam elements along a single structural line are shown in schematic diagram of
Fig. 1.1. However, multiple structural lines that are arbitrariliy aligned in space can also be
intersected by a design section plane and their forces transferred to a single design element.
Brief explanation for each transfer procedure is given in the following.

Design
Cross-section
Beam Elements

Design Section

Transfer

Structural Line
Design Element

Figure 1.1: Transfer of finite element results from a loaded beam to its design element

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1.1.1 Transfer of loads

Loads applied on structural members are directly transferred from finite element nodes to cor-
responding sections of the design element without interpolating at explicit design sections. The
sections for loads are automatically created so that they are positioned on the design element
identical to the nodes. However, the coordinates of the sections are measured from the start
of the design element in contrast to those of the nodes which are defined referring the origin of
the local coordinates of the individual finite elements. This procedure of transferring loads from
nodes to sections is carried out for each load case separately and is then accordingly stored
in the database.

1.1.2 Transfer of forces

After analysis, all internal actions corresponding to each load case are available in the
database to be interpolated at design sections, namely the normal and shear forces, bending,
torsional and warping moments, and deformations and rotations. The interpolation method for
each variable at a section can either be linear or cubic, the basics of which are presented next.

Interpolation

Interpolations are used to transfer sectional values such as forces and displacements at design
sections of a structural member from known values from neighbouring finite element nodes.
Two methods are implemented in DECREATOR to determine sectional values, i.e. linear and
cubic interpolation. Cubic interpolation is used whenever the linear one is inadequate for the
amount of variables intended to incorporate.

Linear interpolation is applied where the interpolant, i.e. s in eq. 1.1, can be chosen as
a linear function of the remaining known values. This method is adequate for interpolating
sectional variables whose derivatives are not of interest, and is used in computing sectional
values such as normal force, shear force, torsional and warping moments. It is stated in its
classical form as:

2 − 1
s = 1 + · (s − 1 ) (1.1)
2 − 1

For higher order interpolations, cubic splines or Hermite polynomials are applied in a piecewise
manner. This applies to bending moments, rotations and displacements in the longitudinal and
transversal axes. The following instance of the cubic function U(t) in eq. 1.2 interpolates a
displacement  at a point t | 0 ≤ t ≤ 1 along a beam’s longtudinal axis based on the nodal
displacements 0 and 1 , while also accounting for nodal rotations r0 and r1 .

U(t) = (2t 3 − 3t 2 + 1) · 0 + (t 3 − 2t 2 + t) · r0 ·  + (−2t 2 + 3t 2 ) · 1 + (t 3 − t 2 ) · r1 ·  (1.2)

where t = (s − 1 )/  and  = 2 − 1 .

Each one of the two interpolation methods and the internal actions to which they are applied
are listed in table 1.1.

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Value Linear Cubic

Normal force N
Shear force Vy , Vz
Warping Moment Mb
Torsion Mt
Deformation local 
Rotation local θ
Deformation local y , z
Rotation local θy , θz
Tendon coordinates θy , θz
Tendon slope θy , θz
Duct coordinates θy , θz

Table 1.1: Interpolation methods

The follwoing force components of a beam element are not transferred to a design element:
twisting moments, 3rd torsional moments and all forms of beddings.

1.1.3 Transfer of tendon geometry

Tendons that are defined using the customary way in SOFiSTiK (see manual tendon) have
their geometrical information stored at associated finite element nodes. Their characteristic
geometrical properties are their coordinates and slopes along their length. With design el-
ements, these values can also be obtained at any given design section. Consequently, the
geometry of tendon’s duct can also be determined.

1.2 Transfers from Quad Elements

When a structural member is modelled using quad elements, design elements can be used to
treat it as a unit member analogous to a beam member and compute internal actions at any
position along the longitudinal axis. The computation involves interpolation of forces from quad
element nodes to design sections, which occurs at the intersection between the quad elements
and a design section (see Fig. 1.2), and integration of internal forces at each design section.
In addition, a user defined cross section can be assigned to the member for design.

1.2.1 Interpolation of forces

When a design section is created, an imaginary plane is defined by its position and the perpen-
dicular line along the longitudinal axis of the design element. Whenever this plane cuts through
quad elements, the intersection line forms two end points at the two cut edges of each quad
element (see Fig. 1.2). The sectional values at these end points need to be then interpolated
from each of the Gauss points or nodes. By default DECREATOR uses nodal values for this but
values at Gauss points can also be used. Hence, for any point (r , s ) within a quad element, the
contributions of all four nodal or Gauss point values are considered here for the interpolation
which is accounted through a bilinear shape function N(r , s ). This shape function is related to
a node  and is given in the quad element’s natural coordinates (−1 ≤ r ≤ 1) & (−1 ≤ s ≤ 1)

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Quads SLN
nt/
Design e
em
Section / cut El
n
ig Intersecting
es
D Plane

Intersections
at Quad edges

Figure 1.2: Design element for a T-beam modelled using quad elements

by:

N (r, s) = c · (r − 1) · (s − 1) (1.3)

3
4

N1(1,1)
2 s

1
r

Figure 1.3: Shape function of a quad element for node 1

Setting the first shape function to unity (N1 = 1) at the first node (r = s = 1, see Fig. 1.3) in
equation 1.3 results in the constant c1 = 1/ 4. Similarly, evaluating the function at all four nodes
of a typical quad element yields the following shape functions associated with each node:

1
N1 = · (r − 1) · (s − 1) (1.4)
4

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1
N2 = − · (r + 1) · (s − 1) (1.5)
4

1
N3 = · (r + 1) · (s + 1) (1.6)
4

1
N4 = − · (r − 1) · (s + 1) (1.7)
4

The influences of all nodal values on the value at any point of interest, i.e. U(r, s), can then
be computed by superposing the shape functions of all four nodes, each multiplied with the
intended nodal value  , that is:

4
X
U(r, s) = N (r, s) ·  (1.8)
=1

The interpolation described above applies for all quad elements intersected by a section. In
the end, there will be a set of pairs of points over the sectional plane over which integration
can be further carried out. The same procedure described so far applies to all design sections
over a design element, thereby transferring finite element analysis results obtained using quad
elements to the intended design element, which can ultimately be treated as a beam element.

1.2.2 Transformation of forces

Since interpolation of all force components (normal, shear & bending) are carried out in each
quad’s local coordinate system, they must be transformed to the cutting design section’s co-
ordinate system so that they represent the internal actions of the design element. In order
to do so, the resultant force vector of each component is first calculated at each interpolated
point (quad edge-to-section intersection) by projecting the force components onto a vector t n
normal to the cutting section. This is illustrated in Fig. 1.4. Equation 1.9 states this projection
within a quad plane with zero force component along a zero thickness. Then in the form of
equation 1.10, the quad-local resultant ƒ q is multiplied with the transformation matrix of the
design element t d , which maps any given vector first to the global coordinate system and then
into the local coordinate of the design element, i.e. resulting in the resultant force vector of the
design section ƒ d which is perpendicular to the section plane. Consequently, two resultants ƒ 1d
and ƒ 2d in the design section coordinate are obtained per quad element at the two intersected
ends.

    
n ny 0 tn ƒq
    
ny ny  tny  = ƒqy  = ƒ q
0 (1.9)
    

 y 0 0 ƒqz

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Transformation

y y'
2 Design element f 2
nx,nxy ny,nxy q
x x'
1 ny,nxy
vx,vy tn
nx,nxy
f 1q
Design section / cut vx,vy

Figure 1.4: Force components to be combined into a local resultant vector

    
t1 ty1 tz1 ƒ
ƒq
    
td × ƒ q = 
t2 ty2 = =ƒ
tz2  ƒqy  ƒy 

d (1.10)
t3 ty3 tz3 ƒqz ƒz

1.2.3 Integration of forces

After sectional values of each quad are interpolated from nodal values and their resultant
transformed to design element coordinates, the internal forces for the section as a whole,
particularly the bending moment, shear and normal forces are to be obtained by integration.
Figure 1.5 illustrates the internal forces and the resulting moment at a section across a T-beam
member.

The integration of the moment at a section is derived from the basic moment-force relationship,
which is:

Z
Myy = ƒ (t) · z(t) dt (1.11)
0

where ƒ (t) is the membrane normal force component in the design element’s x-axis direction
and z(t) is the coordinate of a point on the design section measured in the sectional (design
element’s) z-axis. Both variables are functions of a scalar distance t measured (from node  to
node j) along the length  of the element of interest. This is further illustrated in figure 1.5.

Using the linear relationships: ƒ (t) = ƒ1 + (ƒ2 − ƒ1 ) · (t/ ) and z(t) = z1 + (z2 − z1 ) · (t/ ); the
evaluation of the integral in equation 1.11 results in the following moment about the design
element’s y-axis:

 !
1 2 1 2
· Z1 + ƒ, · Z2 + ƒ,
!
n
X ƒ, · Z2 ƒ, · Z1
MA
yy
=  +  ·  (1.12)
=1
3 6

where  counts up to the number of intersected quad elements n. The bending moment in

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x
y
z
A

Myy
f1dx z1
A z2
2 t
f dx li

Figure 1.5: Element normal forces at a design section in design element’s x-axis

equation 1.12 results from membrane normal force components of the resultants in each in-
tersected quad element. The moment arms of all forces are measured either from the axis
passing through the center of gravity of the member’s cross-section (by default) labelled as
A-A in Fig. 1.5 or from the design element itself if it is chosen as the reference using the DSLN
FREF command.

In addition to the moments from the normal force components, the membrane moments i.e.
m , myy and my , at the intersection points are also integrated and added to result in the
total moment at a design section. After the transformation of these moments to the design
element’s local coordinate is done as described previously, the integration follows the following
form:

 
n
X M1
yy,
+ M2
yy,
MB
yy
=   ·  (1.13)
=1
2

At a given section, the total moment Myy about the y-axis of the design element will then ulti-
mately be the sum of moments resulting from membrane normal forces and the quad moments
interpolated from Gauss points or nodes, i.e.:

Myy = MA
yy
+ MB
yy
(1.14)

Similar to the derivation of the moments from the resultant force components, the shear Vy , Vz
and normal forces N at an intersected quad element are integrated from their corresponding
resultants. That is:

Z 2 − ƒ1
ƒy,z
!
1 y,z
Vy,z = ƒy,z (t) dt here ƒy,z (t) = ƒy,z + ·t (1.15)
0 

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ƒ2 − ƒ1
Z !
N= ƒ (t) dt here ƒ (t) = ƒ1 + ·t (1.16)
0 

Evaluating the above equations and summing up forces for the whole design section that inter-
sects n quad elements results in:

 
1 2 1 2
+ ƒy, + ƒz,
!
n
X ƒy, n
X ƒz,
Vy =   ·  nd Vz = ·  (1.17)
=1
2 =1
2

1 2
+ ƒ,
!
n
X ƒ,
N= ·  (1.18)
=1
2

After the computations described above, a design element defined along a member out of
quad elements has its internal actions transferred to its design sections similar to a typical
beam element (i.e. normal force, shear forces & bending moments). It can then be designed
as a regular beam element.

1.2.4 Prestressed Quads

When a certain quad element representing concrete has a prestressing tendon, the effect of
the resulting hole is accounted for by the design element at Prestressing and Creep+Shrinkage
difference (between two consecutive construction stages) load cases. This is because, unlike
beam elements, forces of these load cases stored by ASE represent the full cross section of a
prestressed quad, while they in fact, act only on the concrete part. The force difference or loss
due to a hole is however calculated and stored for each tendon segment. Therefore, this force
is transformed from quad-local to design element sectional coordinates and deducted from the
sectional forces component wise.

The deduction occurs by default automatically (i.e. for CTRL TEND AUTO), since the two
difference load cases can be internally recognized if they are created by CSM.

The other main consideration when transferring forces from prestressed quads is to add the
force carried by the tendon at each design section. This applies always when the control
setting CTRL TEND YES is used, and only for those CSM’s difference-load-cases other than
Prestressing and Creep+Shrinkage when CTRL TEND AUTO is used. This is because, for
design in AQB at these two load cases, only the concrete part is relevant. To calculate tendon
forces at each quad cut, the tendon forces are first transformed to sectional coordinates and
subject to a component wise sectional summation. The deduction mentioned above is also
accounted for implicitly by the summation, since the hole-losses come included in the tendon
forces.

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1.3 Transfers from Volume Elements

Similar to the quad finite elements, the volume elements (i.e. Hexahedra and Tetraheda) can
be selected, their stresses integrated and transferred to a design element. After a mandatory
selection method is set per a design element, interpolations at each section are first calculated
for the stresses. Theoretical principles, formulations and numerical constants used in the im-
plementation of this section were adopted from Zienkiewicz and Taylor [1] and Solin, Segeth,
and Dolezel [2].

1.3.1 Interpolation of stresses

At a section cutting through a set of volume elements, all internal stresses are interpolated
from the values at the nodes or Guass points (for CTRL GAUS YES) to the points of intersec-
tions with the cutting plane. This is computed using the isoparametric shape functions for a
hexahedron element NH 
, which can be compactly stated as:

1
NH

= (1 + ξξ )(1 + ηη )(1 + μμ ), (1.19)
8

where ξ, η and μ are the natural coordinates of the th node. For instance, expanding this for
the first node would result:

1
NH
1
(ξ, η, μ) = (1 − ξ)(1 − η)(1 − μ)
8

The stress tensor at either one of the intersection points on the cutting plane (ξp , ηp , μp ) is
then computed from the 8 nodal or Gauss values as:

8
X
σ p = σ(ξp , ηp , μp ) = NH

(ξp , ηp , μp )σ  (1.20)
=1

1.3.2 Integration of forces

Integration over any polygonal area can be calculated by forming traingular sub-divisions from
the vertices, and summing the individual triangular integrals. This is applied to determine the
resultant force at a cut through a stressed volume finite element. Hence the cut, which can form
polygons ranging from triangle to a hexagon for all possible sectional inclinations, is divided into
triangular areas. The stress distribution over these subdivisions is then integrated to give the
resultant at each traingle. Each resultant, is then vectorially summed to find the force in the
cuting plane (design section) coordinates. This procedure is applied on all volume elements
intersected by a design section to finally result in internal forces of a design element at any
given section.

The stress distrbution of a single triangular subdivision is represented by the values at its ver-
tices, i.e. each intersection point stresses σ p . These stresses resulting from the previously
discussed intepolation step have to be first transformed from the volume element’s to design

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DECREATOR | Design Elements

section’s coordinate system, and secondly represented as a resultant force at the intersection
point. An operation that carries out both computations simultaneously is the vectorial multipli-
cation of the stress tensor with the sectional normal n:

fp = σ p × n (1.21)

The vector n is the component of the volume-to-sectional transformation matrix, which is nor-
mal to the design section. All force vetors fp, at the vertices of triangular sub-division or
intersection points  : 1 ≤  ≤ 3 are then computed in such manner.

At a general triangular area A, the resultant force fA is sought as an integral of the force
distribution function:

Z Z
fA = FA (, y)ddy (1.22)
A

Since the numerical integration takes place on a standard triangle Ast with the natural coordi-
nates 0 ≤ ξ, η ≤ 1, the forces fp, have to be mapped from general to standard coordinates.
This is carried out by multiplying the integral with the Jacobian of the transformation matrix in
the natural ξ − η coordinates as:

Z Z Z Z
FA (, y)ddy = FA (P(ξ, η), Q(ξ, η)) |J(ξ, η)| dξdη, (1.23)
A Ast

where the coordinate mappings from general to standard are given using the triangular shape
functions NT as:

3
X 3
X
 = P(ξ, η) =  NT (ξ, η) y = Q(ξ, η) = y NT (ξ, η) (1.24)
=1 =1

After performing the corresponding partial derivatives of the above equations (1.24) and the
subsequent determinant operation, the Jacobian J of the transformation from general to stan-
dard coordinates can be expressed in terms of the magnitude of the triangular area  as:
 
  ∂ ∂y 
 ∂(, y)   ∂ξ

∂ξ 

J(ξ, η) =  = = 2 (1.25)
∂(ξ, η)   ∂ ∂y 
∂η ∂η

Moreover, a force at any point Fst (ξ, η) in the standard triangular area Ast is approximated

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using the forces at the vertices fp, and the corresponding linear traingular shape functions NT :

3
X
Fst (ξ, η) ≈ fp, NT (ξ, η) (1.26)
=1

This substitutes the general force distribution function FA (, y) in the integral 1.23.

The nodal shape functions for the linear 3-node triangle are given by the polynomials:

N1 (ξ, η) = 1 − ξ − η N2 (ξ, η) = ξ N3 (ξ, η) = η (1.27)

The general expression of the Gaussian integral of a standard triangle Ast with order ng is
defined in [1] as:

Z Z m
1X
g(ξ, η)dξdη ≈  g(ξ , η ), (1.28)
Ast 2 =1

where m = 2ng − 1 is the number of quadrature points at the coordinates (ξ , η ), and  are
the corresponding weights. Using this for the force vectors at the quadrature points f mapped
by the Jabian to the general traingle A results:

Z Z m
1X
fA = FA (, y)ddy ≈  Fst (ξ , η )|J(ξ, η)|. (1.29)
A 2 =1

The force at the quadrature points (ξ , η ) is interpolated component-wise from the resutlants
fp, at the three intersection points using the triangular shape functions. Applying this interpo-
lation and equation 1.25 results in the integrated resultant force fA over the general triangle
A:

!
m
X m
X 3
X
fA ≈  k Fst (ξk , ηk ) =  k fp, NT (ξk , ηk ) (1.30)
k=1 k=1 =1

Since the used traingluar shape functions are polynomials of 1st order, a Gaussian quadrature
rule of order ng = 1 is sufficient for an exact traingular integral of the forces. This leads to
an implementation with m = 1: one quadrature point (ξ1 , η1 ) = (1/ 3, 1/ 3) with a correspond-
ing weight of 1 = 1.0. With this numerical values, the resultant at a triangular subdivision

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DECREATOR | Design Elements

becomes:

!
3
X 1 1
fA ≈  f NT ( , ) (1.31)
=1
3 3

Considering the procedure described so far for a single triangular subdivision of a sectional
cut through a single volume elemenet, the total integral fS at a design section S intersecting a
member modelled with volume elements becomes:

 
N
X N
X N
X ,

fS = fV, =  fA,,j  (1.32)

=1 =1 j=1

where N is the number of intersected volume elements at a section, fV, is the total resutant
force of the th intersected element, N, is the number of triangular subdivisions at the th
element and fA,,j is the resultant at the jth subdivision of the cut area through the th volume
element.

A typical force vector f has components in the local coordinates, i.e. f = ƒ , ƒy , ƒz . These


components of the sectional force vector are later multiplied with lever arms, if applicaple, and
transformed to the design element’s desired force reference point as moments.

1.4 Cross Sections

A design element can have a cross section associated with it, in which case DECREATOR
uses its centroid to define the axis which forces are referred to, as well as its periphery to
define a boundary in selecting quad elements.

During the calculation of design forces, the design element’s own axis is taken as a reference.
Then, if desired, they are transformed to the geometric center of the chosen cross section. At
the definition of this cross section in the program AQUA, a reference can be set using the local
y- and z-coordinates (see Fig. 1.6 - II). DECREATOR assumes this reference point to be on the
line of the design element, and the geometric center is locally measured from this reference.
Hence, whenever a normal force acts in the member and the design element lies away from
the centroid of the chosen cross section, additional moment is induced.

When a design element with a specified cross section is intended to represent quad elements,
such as those shown in Fig. 1.6 - II, only the quad elements included within the periphery of the
cross section are considered, in addition to the beam element optionally defined by the design
element’s structural line. Those quad elements partially intersected are trimmed and the forces
at the intersection points are interpolated from their corresponding nodal values. Moreover, in
selecting quad elements, those perpendicular to the design element line are omitted. In order
to design a member modelled entirely out of quad elements, a cross section must be assigned
to it.

It is also possible to let DECREATOR automatically calculate the cross section of a member
modelled out of quads, rather than defining it explicitly. In this case, the sectional dimensions

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 Design Elements | DECREATOR

Quad elements
SOFIMSHC: SAR ... QREF BELO
Design Element

Beam Reference

Geometric Center
Beam element
SOFIMSHC: SLN ... STYP ’N’

I. Beam-quad FE-Model

AQUA: SREC
REF Z-

REF C

REF Z+

II. User-input cross-section III. Computed cross-section

DSLN ... FREF SC DSLN ... FREF GC

Figure 1.6: Possible cases of cross section definition and their corresponding CADINP parameters

such as thickness and length of quad elements contained within a certain bounding box are
considered in computing the geometric center (see Fig. 1.6 - III). The bounding box is, by
default, set to the largest size possible unless it is defined by the user.

Other aspects affecting the design element forces are the beams’ and quads’ own reference
points. Additional moments are added to quad and beam elements unless they are defined
centrically in SOFiMSHC. The figure 1.6 - I shows that the beam is defined centrically, whereas
the quad has vertical eccentricity of half its thickness. Moreover, whenever construction stages
associated with the given member exist, the geometric properties corresponding to those of
the cross section at each construction stage.

If a computed cross section is referenced, torsional forces are currently transformed to its
geometric center rather than the shear center.

1.5 Intended Workflow

After the linear analysis of a loaded structural system is carried out typically by the program
ASE, the program module DECREATOR brings the use of design elements in SOFiSTiK to
supply the design in AQB with enhanced sectional information. This organisation follows from
the need to employ known nodal values to determine sectional values anywhere on the mem-
ber outside the nodes. The definition of design elements is carried out using structural lines,
and the accompanying design sections are also specified together as explicit sections. The
diagram in Fig. 1.7 illustrates the workflow of applying design elements in SOFiSTiK using

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DECREATOR | Design Elements

DECREATOR.

AQUA, SOFiMSHC, SOFiLOAD

(System Definition)

Cross sections

Structural Lines & Areas

Loads

ASE
(Analysis)

DECREATOR
(Interpolation / Integration)

Design Elements

Design Sections

AQB
(Design)

Figure 1.7: Design Elements in a typical workflow of SOFiSTiK

1.6 Use Cases

Representative use cases are considered here in order to highlight the steps taken in using
design elements. They are classified here depending on the modelling type and the user’s
intention, i.e. whether to operate on a member’s analysis results or to design it. The practical
cases presented here are those for models with beam and quad elements. They include pro-
cedures to be taken using a sequence of basic SOFiSTiK program modules, i.e. combining
graphical workflows (SSD) and CADINP commands using TEDDY.

1.6.1 Beam element models

The statical finite element analysis of a simply supported beam with a pre-stressing tendon
(Fig. 1.9) is considered here. After the module ASE has carried out the statical analysis,
the results are used by DECREATOR so that the internal actions and tendon geometry at the
design sections can be interpolated from the nodal values. For example, in the illustration, the
sectional values at section B are interpolated from nodes 2 and 3. Finally, computed results
are available as text and graphical for reports and as database records for design in AQB.

In order to subsequently operate on analysis results or to design the beam using design ele-

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 Design Elements | DECREATOR

ments, the following are the essential steps:

• 1/3 Required definitions for analysis (using graphical workflow in SSD)

– Define materials and cross sections first in SSD
– Define the structural configuration including its geometry, boundary conditions, load-
ings, etc... in SOFiPLUS
– Make sure structural lines for the design element(s) are defined in SOFiPLUS
– When necessary, define pre-stressing tendons
– Input linear analysis settings
– Export all of the above definitions in to a .dat file

In the text editor program TEDDY, continue the exported version of the above steps with the
following DECREATOR definitions.

• 2/3 Design element results (using CADINP in TEDDY)

– Define the design element(s) by referring either to a structural line (in DSLN NO) or
a sequence of continuous lines (in DGEO SLN) already established in SOFiMSHC
– (For design) Input the ID number of the cross section to design with (DSLN NCS)
– Define at least one design section (DSLC). Sections at all structural points will au-
tomatically be created
– Input one or more load cases, necessary for force calculations
– (Optional) Add other settings such as intermediate sections, reference axis of forces,
selections for elements, etc...
– Execute/run the above definitions
– Obtain results as a print-out using Report Browser or graphically using
WINGRAF

• 3/3 Design results (using AQB in TEDDY)

– Set a beam design with the type being a design element (DSLN) and referring to its
ID
– Add other settings such as load state for a reinforced concrete, etc...
– Execute/run the above definitions
– Obtain results in Report Browser or in WINGRAF

For a demonstration of the above steps, see the example file decreator_01_beam_01.dat.

Beam Design Design sections

elements element

0 1 2 3 4 5
A Tendon B Nodes C

Figure 1.8: Schematic diagram of a design element for a pin supported pre-stressed beam

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DECREATOR | Design Elements

1.6.2 Quad element models

Another possible case is when a member is modelled with quad elements. Here a simply
supported beam with a T-section is considered.

Following the analysis, DECREATOR integrates all stresses from quad elements intersected
at a design section and stores them as internal forces of a typical beam member. If design of
the member is not intended, no cross section needs to be associated with the design element.
Hence, the design element can either by default take its own line as reference for the integrated
moments, or automatically calculate the cross sectional geometric centroid from the intersected
quad elements and refer the forces to it. It must also be explicitly specified how quad elements
are selected using the element selection command.

Moment Design elements

reference
(centroid)

Quad elements

Given Calculated Moment

cross-section cross-section reference
(centroid)

Figure 1.9: Schematic diagram of a design element for a t-beam modelled with quads, and possible
cross sections

When design of the member is desired, a design cross section must be defined and assigned
to the design element. At the cross section definition in AQUA (eg. AQUA: SREC ... REF), it
is also possible to refer the design element forces to points on the cross section different from
the default, which is its center of geometry. The relationship of a design element and its cross
section is explained more in its own section above. The inputs for design in AQB can finally
follow by referring to the design element’s number.

For quad element models, many steps are the same as in beam elements, except here a
selection method for the quads must be specified. Include this important step as follows:

• 1/2 Required analysis definitions (using graphical workflow)

– (Follow the analysis definition procedure stated for beam element models)

• 2/2 Design element results (using CADINP in TEDDY)

– Define the design element(s) and design sections in the same way as for beam
elements
– Specify a selection method for quad elements
– Input one or more load cases, necessary for force calculations
– (Optional) Add other settings such as intermediate sections, reference axis of forces
selections for elements, etc...
– Execute/run the above definitions to obtain design element results in the Report

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 Design Elements | DECREATOR

Browser or graphically using WINGRAF

A simple example is given in decreator_03_quads_01.dat.

1.6.3 Hybrid models

When a member is modelled in hybrid manner using two different element types, in this case
beam and quad elements, the two must be coupled during structural definition in SOFiMSHC.
For a detailed information regarding this, refer to the sections of Support and Coupling for
structural lines and areas in the SOFIMSHC manual.

To use design elements on such a model, follow the steps stated for quad element models;
and, during definition of the design element, refer it to the ID of the structural line associated to
the beam part of the hybrid member. An example is provided in decreator_04_hybrid_01.dat.

1.6.4 Seismic design

Using design elements, it is also possible to use the outputs of a modal analysis for a seismic
design. Structural members subject to seismic loads, such as shear walls in buildings, can be
modelled well with quad elements. The main role of a design element here is to integrate the
induced stresses in the elements into forces for each eigenform; and also to treat the entire
member as one continuous beam-like member. When design of such a member is intended,
the integrated forces and moments at a chosen design section can be used along with any
given cross section. To do so, follow these steps in this order:

• 1/2 Required definitions for analysis (using graphical workflow in SSD)

– Define materials and cross sections first in SSD
– Define the structural configuration including its geometry, boundary conditions, load-
ings, etc... in SOFiPLUS
– Make sure structural lines for the design element(s) are defined in SOFiPLUS
– When necessary, define pre-stressing tendons
– Input Linear Analysis settings for forces and moments
– Define the response spectra and additional parameters using an Earthquake task
– Create an Eigenvalue analysis task that uses ASE, then assign the amount of eigen-
values, the initial load case ID for the smallest eigen form and other parameters
– Export all of the above definitions in to a .dat file

In TEDDY, append the following to the above file:

• 2/2 Design element results (using CADINP in TEDDY)

– Define the design element(s) using either DSLN NO or DGEO SLN
– (For design) Input the ID number of the cross section to design with
– Define design sections (DSLC, at least one).
– Add a load case range referring to the initial and final load case IDs defined at the
eigenvalue analysis setting in the analysis-definition step
– (Optional) Add other settings such as intermediate sections, reference axis of forces,
element selections, etc...
– Execute/run the above definitions to obtain design element results as a printout

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DECREATOR | Design Elements

or graphically using WINGRAF

A typical example is given in decreator_05_seismic_01.dat.

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 Input Description | DECREATOR

2 Input Description

2.1 Input Language

The input is made in the CADINP language (see general manual SOFiSTiK: ’Basics’).

Three categories of units are distinguished:

mm Fixed unit. Input is always required in the specified unit.

[mm] Explicit unit. Input defaults to the specified unit. Alternatively, an explicit as-
signment of a related unit is possible (eg. 2.5[m] ).

[mm] 1011 Implicit unit. Implicit units are categorised semantically and denoted by a cor-
responding identity number (shown in green). Valid categories referring to the
unit ”length” are, for example, geodetic elevation, section length and thickness.
The default unit for each category is defined by the currently active (design code
specific) unit set. This input default can be overridden as described above. The
specified unit in square brackets corresponds to the default for unit set 5 (Eu-
rocodes, NORM UNIT 5).

2.2 Input Records

The following record names are defined:

Record Items
DSLN NO NCS HDIV FREF TITL
DGEO OPT ID X Y Z DR
DSEL OPT NO YMIN ZMIN YMAX ZMAX
DSLC REF S TYPM TYPT
LC NO ALL
DDEL NO ALL
ECHO OPT VAL
CTRL CTRL HDIV

The records HEAD, END and PAGE are described in the general manual SOFiSTiK: ’Basics’.

A description of each record follows:

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DECREATOR | Input Description

2.3 DSLN – Design Element along SLN

DSLN

Item Description Unit Default

NO Number of the design element − !

NCS Number of primary cross section − -
NCS2 Number of secondary cross section − -
HDIV Create intermediate sections [m] 1001 -
>0.01m: Maximum distance of subdivision
FREF Reference of integrated forces LT *
SC Gravity centre of cross-section
GC Geometric centre of sectional cuts
REF Reference axis of design element
GRP Secondary group LT *
TITL Designation of design element LT12 -

This creates and stores the definition of a design element. The number specified in the manda-
tory input NO, which serves as identification number of the design element, also refers to the
number of a structural line whenever there is one. If a design element defined with the same
number already exists in the databse, all its results will be removed before the new one is
stored. It is important to note that this command resutls only in the definition and does not
execute calculation of forces, which must be done by a mandatory input of load case(s) via LC.
This allows for separate calls of DECREATOR tasks for definition and calculation.

NCS The option NCS assigns ID of a cross section, which is already available in the
database. This will be used for calculations of the design element’s forces, as well
as for designing in AQB. A secondary cross section can be given at NCS2, to design
a member with cross section uniformly varying in size. The cross section by NCS2
will be assigned to the end point of the design element while that of NCS at the start.
The design sections will then automatically create corresponding cross sections by
interpolating between these two, and the forces are accordingly transformed. For this
interpolation to properly work, cross sections both at NCS and NCS2 must be set
and be of the same type.
HDIV The command HDIV sets the distance of the intervals at which intermediate design
sections are created. When this amount is not a factor of the total length of the
design element, DECREATOR selects a number closest to but not exceeding the
given value. For instance, a 14m long design element having 3m of HDIV will have its
design sections evenly distributed every 2.8m. Although these intermediate sections
are internally treated differently from explicit sections, they undergo through the same
calculation procedures of a design section. The lower limit for HDIV is 0.01m.
FREF The parameter FREF selects the reference axis for transferred forces, essentially for
the bending moments. It assumes the option SC as default whenever a cross sec-

2-2 SOFiSTiK 2020

 Input Description | DECREATOR

tion is assigned either to the design element (through NCS), or to the corresponding
structural line in SOFiMSHC. This option, together with CTRL CINT, also allows for
automatic interpolation of cross sections. When no cross section number is given,
and quad elements are intersected, the option GC is taken as default. In all other
cases the axis of the design element (REF) will be used as the default.
GRP The option GRP assigns the design element to an existing secondary group. Here
only secondary groups apply and not primary groups. The group should already
be created by the program SOFiMSHC. This assignment is primarily intended to aid
visualization in Wingraf.

The geometry, sections and selection properties of the design element are defined by the
following subsequent property records:

DGEO Defines the geometry of the design element.

DSLC Defines design sections along the design element.
DSEL Selects elements from which results are transferred.

2.3.1 Examples
The following example creates a design element along the structural line no. 1. Here, design
sections defining a supporting face to a hinged support are placed at offsets of 0.15m at the
start and the end. Additional design sections for shear design are placed at a distance of
0.95m from start and end. Since no selection is specified explicitly, beam results defined along
the structural line are interpolated to the defined sections.

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD
DSLN NO 1
DSLC REF STRT,END 0.15 TYPM HFAC
DSLC REF STRT,END 0.15+0.8 TYPM SHEA
END

The following example creates a design element no. 1 which is defined along the sequence of
structural lines no. 11,12 and 13. Explicit design sections are created at the start, the end and
in the middle of the sequence. As parameter HDIV is defined, additional sections are created
automatically in between the explicitly defined sections at a maximum distance of 0.5m. All
beam forces along the structural line sequence are interpolated at the given sections.

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD
DSLN NO 1 HDIV 0.5
DGEO SLN 11,12,13
DSLC REF STRT,END,MID S 0.0
END

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DECREATOR | Input Description

2.4 DGEO – Geometry of design element

See also: DSLN

DGEO

Item Description Unit Default

OPT Type of geometry LT SLN

SLN Reference to structural line
BEAM Reference to beam elements
LINE Definition of a straight line
AXIS Definition along an axis
ID Reference number − *
X1 X coordinate of start point [m] 1001 *
Y1 Y coordinate of start point [m] 1001 *
Z1 Z coordinate of start point [m] 1001 *
X2 X coordinate of end point [m] 1001 *
Y2 Y coordinate of end point [m] 1001 *
Z2 Z coordinate of end point [m] 1001 *
DRX X coordinate of direction vector of the local Z axis − *
DRY Y coordinate of direction vector of the local Z axis − *
DRZ Z coordinate of direction vector of the local Z axis − *
SA Start station along an axis −
SE End station along an axis −

This record defines the geometry of a design element. It is an attribute record and refers to the
preceding design element defined at DSLN.

SLN Derive the geometry from one or more existing structural line(s). This option allows
a geometry out of a list of up to 1000 connected structural lines. For such connected
sequences of SLNs with varying coordinate systems, the design element will inherit
that of the first SLN in the list. When a single SLN is of interest, referring it with DSLN
NO is an alternative shortcut to this functionality.
BEAM Construct the geometry from a connected sequence of beam elements. The maxi-
mum limit is 1000. For connected sequence of BEAMs with varying local coordinate
systems, the geometry will inherit that of the BEAM with the lowest ID number.
LINE Form a straight line geometry using two points given in global coordinates. The local
z-direction of the formed geometry must also be specified. If this is given as a rough
approximation and is not exactly perpendicular to the straigh line, it will be cross
checked with the local x-axis (the given line) and automatically corrected using the
right-hand-rule.
AXIS Geometry based on a primary or secondary axis. Here, it can be practical to ad-
ditionally, trim the geometry by specifying the local end positions or stations since

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 Input Description | DECREATOR

axes may often extend out of the model. Coordinate positions having units of dis-
tance should be input with X1 and X2. However, if the axis is defined with stations
in SOFiMSHC, these should be specified with the unitless parameters SA and SE.
Moreover, the local z-axis can be given ine the same as DGEO LINE, otherwise that
of the referenced axis will be inherited.

If the sequence supplied by SLN or BEAM forms a deflection angle of less than 10° at a
connection, a smooth curve will be used to join consecutive geometric elements. Wherever
this amount is exceeded, it will be considered as a kink or a geometric singularity, and a sharp
corner is used to continue the curve. At this corner, the design element will also automatically
have double (non-explicit) sections with two different normal vectors.

For the DGEO options SLN and BEAM, the design element always inherits the local coordinate
system of the referred elements.

In case of multiple sequences of Beams or SLNs, the components should not have gaps and
must necessarily form a connected geometry. If the sequence is of connected components,
but not listed in the order of connection, the design element will automatically rearrange the
sequence and form a connected geometry.

If no geometry is defined for the design element, the program tries to create a design element
along the structural line which has the same number as the design element.

2.4.1 Examples
The following example creates a design element along the sequence of structural lines no.
11,12 and 13. The referenced structural lines must be connected at their endpoints. Otherwise,
an error message is issued, and the design element is not created.

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD
DSLN NO 1
DGEO SLN 11,12,13
END

In the next example, a design element is defined along beam elements referring to the ID num-
ber of each beam element, as stated here in an incremental form. Calculations proceed without
error regardless of the order in the beam sequence, if there is no discontinuity in between.

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD
DSLN NO 1
DGEO BEAM (1001 1010 1)
END

In the example below, DECREATOR creates a design element along a user-defined straight
line, independent of priorly defined references. This procedure is practical for a hybrid selec-
tion of a variety of finite elements, and hence should be defined together with the selection
command DSEL as shown.

SOFiSTiK 2020 2-5

DECREATOR | Input Description

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD
DSLN NO 1
DGEO LINE X1 0.0 Y1 0.0 Z1 0.0 X2 8.0 Y2 0.0 Z2 0.0 DRX 0 DRY 0 DRZ 1
DSEL GRP 3,4
END

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 Input Description | DECREATOR

2.5 DSEL – Element selection

See also: DSLN

DSEL

Item Description Unit Default

OPT Type of selection LT BEAM

GRP Finite elements by group
SEC Within a cross section’s bounding box
BOX Within a bounding box
BEAM Beam elements along structural line
QSAR Quad elements on structural area
NO Reference number for QSAR, SEC or GRP − -

YMIN Minimum coordinates for BOX [m] 1001 -1000000

ZMIN [m] 1001 -1000000
YMAX Maximum coordinates for BOX [m] 1001 1000000
ZMAX [m] 1001 1000000

This input selects finite elements from which design element results are computed. It is an
attribute input and refers to the preceding design element defined at DSLN and applied at all
design sections. The options GRP, SEC and BOX are valid for finite elements of beam, quad
(shell), hexahedral (bric) and tetrahedral types.

GRP Select finite elements having one or more primary groups. If the number at NO is
omitted, elements of all group are taken.
SEC Collect elements within the outer rectangular bounding box of the cross section as-
signed by the parameter NCS at DSLN.
BOX Select elements within the bounding box defined by the minimum and maximum val-
ues. These are given in the local y-z coordinate system of the design element.
BEAM Select beam elements that are components of the referenced structural line. This
option applies only if the design element’s definition refers to a structural line, defined
either via DSLN NO or DGEO SLN.
QSAR Select quad elements that are components of a given structural area. This applies
only to quad elements.

A combination of the above options allows selection different elements matching different filter-
ing criteria. For example, selection of elements lying within a given bounding box and belonging
to some group.

If no selection record is given at all, this defaults to DSEL BEAM, resulting in an attempt to
collect beam elements along a structural line that is possibly referenced by the design element.
Otherwise nothing will be selected, and the design element definition would be incomplete.

SOFiSTiK 2020 2-7

DECREATOR | Input Description

2.5.1 Examples
The following simple example creates a design element no. 1 which collects all beam elements
along structural line no. 1:

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD
DSLN NO 1
END

The following example creates a design element no. 1 to which a cross section no. 2 is
assigned. The design element collects all beam elements along the structural line no. 1, as
well as other quad or volume elements lying within the outer boundary of the cross section.
This outer boundary is always rectangular which is formed by the minimum and maximum
corner points of the cross-section.

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD
DSLN NO 1 NCS 2
DSEL SEC
END

The following example creates a design element no. 1 along the straight line formed by the
end points {0, 0, 0} and {0, 0, 10}. It selects all finite elements lying within the rectangular
bounding box formed by the local corner points P1 = {−6, −3} and P2 = {+6, +3}. The box
is aligned according to the local coordinate system of the design element, the local z-axis of
which is the global vector (1, 0, 0).

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD
DSLN NO 1
DGEO LINE X1 0 0 0 X2 0 0 10 DRX 1 0 0
DSEL BOX YMIN -6 -3 YMAX +6 +3
END

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 Input Description | DECREATOR

2.6 DSLC – Design sections along the design element

See also: DSLN

DSLC

Item Description Unit Default

REF Reference LT STRT

STRT Distance from start of line
END Distance from end of line
MID Distance from middle
XI Relative position between start and end
[0;1]
S Distance / Position [m] 1001 /− 0.0

TYPM Type of section main bending LT SECT

TYPT Type of section transverse bending LT SECT
SECT Standard section
CFAC Face of clamped support
HFAC Face of hinged support
SHEA Main and cross shear section
IFAC Face of indirect support

This record allows to define explicit design sections along the design element. It is a property
record and refers to the preceding design element defined at DSLN. When generating the
design element, properties and results from the analysis will be interpolated at these explicit
sections.

As an example, the following input creates two sections at 30cm from both ends at the location
of support faces of connected columns.

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD
DSLN NO 1
END

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD
DSLN NO 1
DSLC REF STRT,END 30[cm] TYPM HFAC
END

These sections will be evaluated during reinforcement design in AQB where, according to the
type of the section defined at TYPM or TYPT, a reduced moment at the respective support is

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DECREATOR | Input Description

accounted for.

Design elements running through structural points will have design sections created automati-
cally at each point.

Automatic sections will also be created at positions of selected beams or quad elements where
abrupt changes or jumps occur. For changes in any of the internal forces a tolerance of 1.0%
of the maximum is used. For cross sectional jumps, changes in IDs are used.

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 Input Description | DECREATOR

Hint
Explicit design sections are also created automatically by DECREATOR at the start and
end points of a design element, as well as at all intermediate supports. Whenever explicit
design sections fall together with intermediate ones defined by HDIV in DSLN, they are
merged so that computations are carried out only for one.

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DECREATOR | Input Description

2.7 LC – Selection of load cases

LC

Item Description Unit Default

NO Number(s) of load case(s) − -

ALL All load cases − -

This record sets a range of load cases to be used when transferring results. It is a mandatory
input for DECREATOR to calculate and store forces and other results related to load cases. If it
is not specified, only the definition of the design element will be calculated and stored. It affects
all succeeding definitions of design elements at DSLN. In each case, DECREATOR reads only
characteristic loads (i.e. linear and non-linear) and load cases of natural frequencies from the
database.

The selection of the load cases can be reset by entering the literal ’NONE’ at parameter FROM.
Following example shows the usage of the record:

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD
DSLN 1 TITL 'first design element'
DSLN 2 TITL 'second design element'
LC (1 10 1)
!(...)
END

Here, two design elements with numbers 1 and 2 will be created and processed with the results
of the load cases 1 to 10.

Separation of force calculations using Load Case

If one or more design elements are already defined in a previous DECREATOR run, this com-
mand alone can be used in a subsequent task to execute force calculations for all existing
definitions. For example:

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD Definition of design element
DSLN 1 NCS 1 HDIV 0.5
DSLC REF MID
END

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD Calculation of forces for previously defined design element(s)
LC 1,2
END

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 Input Description | DECREATOR

2.8 DDEL – Element Deletion

See also: DSLN

DDEL

Item Description Unit Default

NO ID(s) of design element(s) − -

ALL All design elements − -

This command removes all information belonging to the listed design element(s) from the
database.

2.8.1 Examples
The following example deletes design elements no. 1, 2 and 3, with all of their associated
results:

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD
DDEL NO 1,2,3
END

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DECREATOR | Input Description

2.9 ECHO – Control of output

ECHO

Item Description Unit Default

OPT A literal from the following list: LT FULL

DSLN Design Elements
FORC Forces
TND Tendons
DISP Displacements
LOAD Loads
LPLT Longitudnal Plot
SPLT Sectional Plot
FULL All the above options

VAL The extent of the output LT FULL

OFF Deactivate option
NO No output
YES Regular output
FULL Extensive output
EXTR Extreme output

This record defines the amount of data to be printed in the program output. If the same ECHO
command is defined multiple times, the last one applies to all design elements.

The option LPLT plots the internal forces (Normal Force, Shear Forces Vy Vz and Bending
Moments My Mz Mt) along the design elements axis. The SPLT option shows the sectional
cut of quad elements selected by the design element at each explicit design section. Here,
qualitative plots of the resultant forces in the design element’s x, y and z axes are also visible.
Hence these sectional plots are shown only when there are quad elements selected.

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 Input Description | DECREATOR

2.10 CTRL – Control of calculation

CTRL

Item Description Unit Default

GAUS Qaud forces to interpolate from NO

YES Use gauss point forces −
NO Use nodal forces −
TEND Consider tendon effects in Quad elements AUTO
AUTO Consider tendon effects for pre-stressing −
load cases
YES Calculate considering tendon effects for all −
load cases
NO Calculate with out tendon effects −
CINT Cross-section interpolation for Beam elements NO
YES Interpolate cross sections −
NO Do not interpolate cross sections −

This CTRL option is to be defined before design elements and it applies to definitions of all
succeeding design elements.

GAUS The command GAUS allows to use forces from Gauss integration points. By default,
or if this command is switched off, nodal forces are used.
TEND The TEND command controls consideration of tendon prestressing effects in
quad elements. The option AUTO is intended for an AQB design based
on the difference load case results from CSM (see CSM standard example
csm4_quad_einfeldtraeger.dat). This option assumes that all difference load
cases are labeled accordingly by CSM. For those load cases of Prestressing and
Creep+Shrinkage, the AUTO option considers only the stresses on the concrete part
and tendon forces are omitted (same as TEND NO). Here deduction of concrete
stress losses due to tendon hole are also considered. For all other difference load
cases, the option AUTO works the same as TEND YES and integrates tendon forces
with the quads at each section. The hole effect is also therewith implicitly accounted
for.
For instance, at a prestressing load case, the normal force of a statically determinate
beam will be zero at all design sections for the setting CTRL TEND YES, and will be
equal to the prestressing force for CTRL TEND NO, i.e. the compression force in the
concrete.
CINT Since automatic interpolation of cross sections can be resource intensive, it is turned
off by default. Activate it via the CINT command when it is desired. This option will
only apply when design sections intersect beam elements that already have variable
cross sections. It is not related and does not apply to the case of a manually assigned
cross section variation via the DSLN NCS and NCS2 options. Interpolation applies to

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DECREATOR | Input Description

design sections of all types (also to intermediates created with HDIV), and forces will
be accordingly transformed. Most importantly, for cross sections to be interpolated,
DSLN FREF must be set to SC. Otherwise cross section interpolation would not
be useful, since forces will not be related or transformed to any cross section. IDs
of newly generated cross sections are generated by DECREATOR in an ascending
manner using ID numbers greater than 2000. Existing IDs will not be overwritten,
however the command DDEL removes all cross sections, that are interpolated by all
previous design elements, from the database.

The following example shows the usage of the above commands:

+PROG DECREATOR
HEAD
CTRL GAUS YES
CTRL TEND YES
CTRL CINT YES
DSLN NO 1 FREF SC TITL 'first design element'
!(...)
END

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 Literature | DECREATOR

Literature

[1] O.C. Zienkiewicz and R.L. Taylor. The finite Element Method, Fourth Edition McGraw-Hill,
London. London: Fourth Edition McGraw-Hill, 1989.
[2] Pavel Solin, Karel Segeth, and Ivo Dolezel. Higher Order Finite Element Methods. Chap-
man & Hall/CRC, 2004.
[3] K.J. Bathe and E.N. Dvorkin. A Four-Node Plate Bending Element Based on
Mindlin/Reissner Plate Theory and a Mixed Interpolation. Int.Journal.f.Numerical Meth.
Engineering Vol.21 367-383, 1985.
[4] T.J.R. Hughes and E. Hinton. Finite Elements for Plate and Shell Structures. Pineridge
Press International, Swansea, 1986.
[5] R.L. Taylor, P.J. Beresford, and E.L. Wilson. A Non-Conforming Element for Stress Analy-
sis. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Vol. 10:1211-1219, 1976.

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