At IDEA StatiCa, we don’t simply improve the structural design methods, we reinvent them! Our IDEA StatiCa Detail application is able to analyze and design any concrete discontinuity region using the new method CSFM (Continuous Stress Field Method) that eliminates the shortcomings and simplifications of the strut and tie analogy.
Taking a closer look at the design of truss joints, composed solely from open sections, based on David Brown’s article at the NSC issue of January, and comparing the results with an IDEA StatiCa model.
In this article, we are presenting a case study of IDEA StatiCa RCS through a real project from one of our customers, which although relatively small-scaled, presents the designer with several challenges that make the calculation of internal forces complex, with the biggest one being the curved concrete walls. The design of such elements usually involves a lot of assumptions, engineering judgment, and a combination of hand calculations with dedicated software that would still not provide complete insight and code compliance.
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.
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)
Since the first launch of IDEA StatiCa 4 years ago, it became very clear that this new technology was about to revolutionize the way that structural engineers design steel connections, since it was (and is) the only software in the world that provides total freedom in the topology and loading of the joint.
Read the article by professor Walter Kaufmann and Jaime Mata-Falcón from ETH Zurich in our Resource Center.
