Having a vast amount of possibilities is a great thing for users but then it is not always easy to manage them and find the appropriate ones quickly. And that’s exactly what happened to our cross-section library – the time
As timber is getting more popular in construction around the world, steel-to-timber connection design frequently required from structural engineers. As any other connection, steel-to-timber connections have to be checked according to AISC, Eurocode and other building standards. Steel-to-timber connection design was
Another example of how IDEA StatiCa can help you to go beyond the code limitations, and design connections that incorporate elements and characteristics such as web openings, eccentricities, etc, that would otherwise require ‘hand’ calculations.
Eccentric connections are quite challenging. The designer must account for them in his calculations and make assumptions for their influence on each component (bolts, welds and plates). Moreover, they require connecting plates and members with unorthodox geometries that bring existing calculation methods to their limit.
Load on a curve imported from DXF reference can save you a lot of time during the input of loads for concrete structures. This new functionality can help a lot when defining shear stress flow in sections capable of transferring the torsion effects, a load transfer via a web of a box-girder section or equivalent load due to prestress.
One of the biggest requests we’ve had from our customers over the last year, was the ability to export a joint from TEKLA Structures, without the need of IDEA StatiCa being installed in the same computer. In IDEA StatiCa 10.1 we made it happen! And even more, we provide it for FREE!
Among other unique advantages, IDEA StatiCa provided a complete solution to a problem that existed for many years: connections that incorporate PFC sections (Parallel Flange Channels – or UPN in Eurocodes) . Although competing software seem to support PFCs for very simple cases like fin plate connections, more difficult cases such as moment resisting connections, or complex geometries, are not covered at all.
Web openings can be a real pain for connection design, as current design codes assume the beam to be solid at the end, in order to carry out the design. IDEA StatiCa, with its general approach, provides a complete and very accurate solution, that takes into account the reduction of the web stiffness due to the opening, and allows any location and shape of web openings.
How does a beam web opening can influence the rotational stiffness of the connection and the code checks? Before IDEA StatiCa that was a really tough question to answer for anyone, and only with the use of sophisticated non-linear analysis software – and lot’s of hours – someone could reach a safe conclusion.
Although tubular structures are widely used in structures nowadays, their joints are often not covered by design codes and guides, especially when it comes to multiplanar joints. Additionally to standard tubular joints, the latest years a novel joint configuration called bird-beak was proposed – since researchers have found that member orientation had a deep influence on resistance of joints.
