strucalc 60 manual

8/14/2019 StruCalc 60 manual

1/120

CASCADE CONSULTING ASSOCIATES, INC.

END USER SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT

This End-User License Agreement ("EULA") pertains to Cascade Consulting Associates, Inc.'s Copyrightedcomputer software (the "Software") in the package containing CD-ROMs, diskettes, associated media, printed

materials, electronic distribution package or electronic documentation. Please read the terms and conditions of this End-User License Agreement ("EULA") before installing or otherwise using the Software.

This End-User License Agreement ("EULA") is a legally enforceable contract between you ("Customer" or "you")and Cascade Consulting Associates, Inc., an Oregon corporation ("CCA"). By clicking "I agree", installing,copying, or otherwise using any part of the Software or any associated media, any printed materials, or any "online" or electronic documentation, you agree to be bound by the terms of this EULA. If you do notagree to the terms of this EULA, promptly return the unused Software to your supplier for a full refund.

1. LICENSE. One user may use the Software on the Customer's workstation where the software was installed;you may use the Software on a second computer so long as only one copy is used at a time; you may usethe Software on a network ONLY IF each individual accessing the Software through the network has a copylicensed to that individual; and you may copy the Software for archival purposes, provided the copy containsall of the original Software's proprietary notices.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Cascade Consulting Associates, Inc. reserves the right to require that the originalsoftware be returned to it in order for you to receive any upgrades and/or replacement software.

2. RESTRICTIONS. You agree that you may not:a) Use the software simultaneously on more than one central processing unit;b) Copy, modify, or translate the software or documentation in any way;c) Rent, lease, distribute, disclose, or transfer the software or documentation, in whole or in part to any

third party; or d) Use the software, documentation, or any portion thereof after termination or cancellation of this

Agreement or the license granted hereunder.e) The restrictions set forth in this Paragraph 2 shall survive termination or cancellation of this Agreement.

3. TERM AND TERMINATION. The term of this Agreement and the license granted to you, pursuant toParagraph 1, shall commence upon your breaking the seal on the disk package, installing, copying, or otherwise using any part of the Software or any associated media, any printed materials, or any "online" or electronic documentation and shall terminate upon your discontinuing the use of the software. This licensewill also terminate if you fail to comply with any term or condition of this Agreement. Upontermination/cancellation of this Agreement, you shall immediately destroy the software, all copies thereof,and any documentation; or you shall immediately return the software, all copies thereof, and anydocumentation to Cascade Consulting Associates.

4. SITE LICENSE. Should you purchase additional site licenses for the use of the software, said licenses mustbe at the same physical location (address) as the original licensed software. All terms and conditions of theoriginal License Agreement shall apply to each site license purchased.

5. LIMITED WARRANTY. The software was created and tested by a licensed engineer in accordance withstandard engineering practices. Every reasonable attempt was made to verify the accuracy of the softwareand its documentation.

CASCADE CONSULTING ASSOCIATES, INC. WARRANTS THAT THE SOFTWARE SHALL BE OF CASCADECONSULTING ASSOCIATES, INCS STANDARD QUALITY AND FREE FROM DEFECTS IN MATERIAL ANDWORKMANSHIP. CASCADE CONSULTING ASSOCIATES, INCS SOLE LIABILITY AND OBLIGATIONCONCERNING THE SOFTWARE WILL BE TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE DISKETTES OR PRINTEDMATERIALS WHICH PREVENT THE SOFTWARE FROM PERFORMING AS DESCRIBED IN THEACCOMPANYING WRITTEN MATERIALS FOR THE SOFTWARE. DEFECTS MUST BE REPORTED INWRITING TO CASCADE CONSULTING ASSOCIATES INC. WITHIN 60 DAYS FROM YOUR RECEIPT OFTHE SOFTWARE.

THE FOREGOING WARRANTY IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED,INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR ANYPARTICULAR PURPOSE. BY WAY OF EXAMPLE, AND NOT AS A LIMITATION OF THE FOREGOING,


2/120

CASCADE CONSULTING ASSOCIATES, INC. DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE FUNCTIONS CONTAINEDIN THE SOFTWARE WILL MEET THE USERS REQUIREMENTS OR THAT THE PROGRAM WILL OPERATEIN THE COMBINATION WHICH THE USER SELECTS OR THAT THE OPERATION OF THE SOFTWAREWILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE.

ANYONE MAKING USE OF THE SOFTWARE ASSUMES ALL LIABILITY ARISING FROM ITS USE. IT IS THERESPONSIBILITY OF THE USER OF THE SOFTWARE TO VERIFY THE AVAILABILITY, SUITABILITY ANDADEQUACY OF ANY STRUCTURAL MEMBER CHOSEN FOR DESIGN AND/OR CONSTRUCTION.

IN NO EVENT SHALL CASCADE CONSULTING ASSOCIATES, INC. BE LIABLE FOR LOSS OF BUSINESSPROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION OR OTHER SPECIAL,INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES SUFFERED BY THE USER OR OTHERS AS A RESULT OFTHE USE, INABILITY TO USE OR MISUSE OF THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF CASCADE CONSULTINGASSOCIATES, INC. HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THE USERS SOLEREMEDIES ARE AS SET FORTH ABOVE.

In the event that you wish to obtain the replacement of a defective diskette or printed materials during the 60-daywarranty period, you must send the defective part or parts postage paid, to Cascade Consulting Associates, Inc.,PO Box 1617, Corvallis, Oregon 97339. Please include your name, address and a copy of the packing slip or acopy of your receipt and a brief description of the defect.

6. MISCELLANEOUS.a) BY CLICKING "I AGREE, BREAKING THE SEAL ON THE DISK PACKAGE, INSTALLING,

COPYING, OR OTHERWISE USING ANY PART OF THE SOFTWARE OR ANY ASSOCIATEDMEDIA, ANY PRINTED MATERIALS, OR ANY "ONLINE" OR ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTATION,YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS AGREEMENT, UNDERSTAND IT, ANDAGREE TO BE BOUND BY ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS. FURTHER, YOU AGREE THAT IT ISTHE COMPLETE AND EXCLUSIVE STATEMENT OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE PARTIES,WHICH SUPERSEDES ALL PROPOSALS OR PRIOR AGREEMENTS, ORAL OR WRITTEN, ANDALL OTHER COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE PARTIES RELATING TO THE SUBJECTMATTER OF THIS AGREEMENT.

b) It is your responsibility to have the most recent version of the software available.c) If any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be held invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of this

Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect and the offending provision shall, to theextent possible, be so construed and reformed as to render the same enforceable.

d) This Agreement shall be interpreted, construed, and governed according to the laws of the State of Oregon.

7. COPYRIGHT. The software contained in the installation package and the accompanying written materialsare owned by Cascade Consulting Associates and are protected by the copyright laws of the United Statesof America and international treaty provisions.

NOTEThe information presented in this publication and the associated program has been prepared inaccordance with recognized engineering principles and are for general information only. While it isbelieved to be accurate, this information should not be used or relied upon for any specific applicationwithout competent professional examination and verification of its accuracy, suitability and applicabilityby a competent licensed engineer, architect or other licensed professional. Except as expressly set

forth herein, publication and distribution of the written material contained herein and the software is notintended to be a representation or warranty of Cascade Consulting Associates, Inc., or of any other person or entity named herein.


3/120

for WINDOWS TM

Cascade Consulting Associates, Inc.PO Box 1617

Corvallis, Oregon 97339

Phone: (541) 753-0117Fax: (541) 753-9422www.strucalc.com

E-mail: [email protected]


4/120


5/120

TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE

NOMENCLATURE1. GETTING STARTED 1

1.1 MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................................1 1.2 INSTALLATION .......................................................................................................................1 1.3 RUNNING THE PROGRAM.....................................................................................................1 1.4 TECHNICAL SUPPORT ..........................................................................................................1

2. TUTORIAL 3 2.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................3 2.2 ROOF FRAMING DESIGN ......................................................................................................4

2.2.1 ROOF RAFTER DESIGN..................................................................................................4 2.2.2 MULTI-SPAN ROOF BEAM DESIGN ...............................................................................7 2.2.3 ROOF COLUMN DESIGN.................................................................................................9

2.3 FLOOR FRAMING DESIGN ..................................................................................................11 2.3.1 FLOOR JOIST DESIGN..................................................................................................11 2.3.2 HEADER DESIGN...........................................................................................................13 2.3.3 MULTI-SPAN STEEL FLOOR BEAM DESIGN...............................................................16 2.3.4 STEEL COLUMN DESIGN..............................................................................................18

2.4 FOUNDATION DESIGN.........................................................................................................21 2.4.1 SQUARE FOOTING DESIGN.........................................................................................21

3. USING THE PROGRAM 23 3.1 HELP ......................................................................................................................................23

QUICKHELP 23 HELP FILE 23 MORE HELP 23

3.2 AUTOSIZE ....................................................................................................................23

3.3 CALCULATE .................................................................................................................24 3.4 STRESS VALUES..................................................................................................................24

3.5 SECTION PROPERTIES ..............................................................................................24

3.6 LOADING DIAGRAM ....................................................................................................24

3.7 SHEAR, MOMENT, AND DEFLECTION DIAGRAMS .................................................24

3.8 CALCULATOR .............................................................................................................24

3.9 USER NOTES ................................................................................................................25

3.10 CHANGING THE BUILDING CODE ..........................................................................25

3.11 CHANGING THE PROGRAM APPEARANCE ..........................................................25

3.12 PRINTING ...................................................................................................................25 3.12.1 PRINTING MEMBERS ................................................................................................25


6/120

PRINTING FROM THE MODULE 25 PRINTING MULTIPLE MEMBERS 25

PRINTING TO SCREEN 25

PRINTING TO FILE 26

3.12.2 CHANGING THE PRINTING SETTINGS ........................................................... 26 MARGINS 26 TABS 26 FONTS 26 SETUP 26 PRINT SELECTION 26

3.13 CHANGING THE USER/COMPANY NAME ............................................................. 26

3.14 CHANGING THE USER OPTIONS/DEFAULT VALUES .......................................... 27 3.15 MODIFYING PROJECTS................................................................................................... 27

3.15.1 SAVING MEMBERS ........................................................................................... 27

3.15.2 PROJECT MANAGER ........................................................................................ 27 CREATING A NEW PROJECT 27 CHANGING THE DIRECTORY 27 RETRIEVING AN EXISTING MEMBER FROM A PROJECT 27 COPYING PROJECTS 28 RENAMING PROJECTS AND MEMBERS 28 DELETING PROJECTS AND MEMBERS 28 PRINTING MULTIPLE MEMBERS 28 PRINTING MULTIPLE MEMBERS TO FILE 28

3.16 SHORTCUTS AND HOTKEYS.......................................................................................... 28 3.17 TOOLBARS .......................................................................................................................29

3.17.1 ANALYSIS TOOLBAR ................................................................................................ 29 3.17.2 MEMBER TOOLBAR .................................................................................................. 29 3.17.3 SECTION TOOLBAR.................................................................................................. 29 3.17.4 FACTOR TOOLBAR ................................................................................................... 30 3.17.5 HELP TOOLBAR......................................................................................................... 30 3.17.6 RESULTS TOOLBAR ................................................................................................. 30

4. DESIGN OVERVIEW 31 4.1 DESIGN PROCESS............................................................................................................... 31 4.2 DESCRIPTION OF BASIC BEAM INPUTS ..........................................................................31

4.2.1 MATERIALS.................................................................................................................... 31 MATERIAL TYPE 31 SPECIES/MANUFACTURER 31 GRADE 31

4.2.2 MEMBER DESCRIPTION ..............................................................................................32 LAMINATIONS 32 WIDTH/DEPTH 32 SPACING 32 NOTCH DEPTH 32 SPAN 33 TRIBUTARY WIDTH 33

4.2.3 DEFLECTION CRITERIA ............................................................................................... 33 RECOMMENDED DEFLECTION CRITERIA 33 DEFLECTION LIMIT CALCULATIONS FOR INTERIOR SPANS 33 DEFLECTION LIMIT OPTIONS FOR CANTILEVERS 34

4.2.4 DURATION FACTOR ..................................................................................................... 34


7/120

CODE REQUIRED DURATION FACTOR VALUES 34 CONTROLLING DURATION FACTOR DETERMINATION 34

4.2.5 SNOW/NON-SNOW........................................................................................................35 4.2.6 UNBRACED LENGTH.....................................................................................................35 4.2.7 SLOPE ADJUSTMENTS.................................................................................................36

ROOF BEAM-ROOF PITCH ADJUSTMENTS 37 ROOF BEAM-SLOPE AND ROOF PITCH ADJUSTMENTS 37 ROOF RAFTER-PITCH ADJUSTMENTS 39

4.2.8 LOADING ........................................................................................................................40 LOAD COMBINATIONS 40 DEAD LOADS 40 LIVE LOADS 40

4.2.9 FLOOR LIVE LOAD REDUCTION..................................................................................40 REDUCTIONS FOR 94 AND 97 UBC, 2000 AND 2003 IBC 41 REDUCTIONS FOR 94, 97 AND 99 SBC 41 REDUCTIONS FOR 93, 96 AND 99 BOCA 42

4.2.10 CAMBER AMPLIFICATION FACTOR.........................................................................42

5. DESIGN CALCULATIONS 43 5.1 GENERAL DESIGN CALCULATIONS .................................................................................43 5.2 WOOD DESIGN .....................................................................................................................43 5.2.1 MATERIAL PROPERTIES ..............................................................................................43

5.2.2 ADJUSTMENT FACTORS..............................................................................................43 SIZE FACTOR ADJUSTMENT 43 VOLUME FACTOR ADJUSTMENT 44 STABILITY FACTOR ADJUSTMENT 44 REPETITIVE MEMBER FACTOR 45 INCISING FACTOR 45 WET USE FACTOR 45

5.2.3 ADJUSTED ALLOWABLE STRESS VALUES................................................................46 ADJUSTED BENDING STRESS Fb 46 ADJUSTED SHEAR STRESS Fv 46 ADJUSTED COMPRESSION PARALLEL TO GRAIN Fc 46 ADJUSTED COMPRESSION PERPENDICULAR TO GRAIN Fc 46

ADJUSTED MODULUS OF ELASTICITY E 47 5.2.4 WOOD SECTION PROPERTIES ...................................................................................47 AREA 47 SECTION MODULUS 47 MOMENT OF INERTIA 47

5.2.5 REQUIRED WOOD SECTION PROPERTIES ...............................................................48 AREA REQUIRED 48 SECTION MODULUS REQUIRED 48 MOMENT OF INERTIA REQUIRED 48

5.2.6 ADEQUACY ....................................................................................................................48 5.3 STEEL DESIGN .....................................................................................................................48

5.3.1 MATERIAL PROPERTIES ..............................................................................................48 TABULATED PROPERTIES 48

5.3.2 DESIGN FOR BENDING.................................................................................................49 COMPACT SECTION CRITERIA 49

UNBRACED LENGTH 50 ALLOWABLE BENDING STRESS 50 NOMINAL MOMENT CAPACITY 51

5.3.3 DESIGN FOR SHEAR.....................................................................................................52 ALLOWABLE SHEAR STRESS 52 NOMINAL SHEAR CAPACITY 53

5.3.4 BEARING LENGTH REQUIRED ....................................................................................53 LOCAL WEB YIELDING 53 WEB CRIPPLING 53 BEARING LENGTH CAPACITY 54


8/120

5.3.5 STEEL BEAM ADEQUACY ............................................................................................ 54 5.4 FLITCH BEAM DESIGN........................................................................................................ 54

5.4.1 TRANSFORM CALCULATIONS ....................................................................................54 5.4.2 FLITCH BEAM CONNECTIONS ....................................................................................55

6. SIMPLE BEAM MODULES 57 6.1 UNIFORMLY LOADED FLOOR BEAM................................................................................ 57

6.1.1 DESCRIPTION ...............................................................................................................57 6.1.2 LOADING........................................................................................................................ 57

6.2 ROOF BEAM ......................................................................................................................... 58 6.2.1 DESCRIPTION ...............................................................................................................58 6.2.2 HIP/VALLEY ROOF BEAM DESIGN.............................................................................. 58

6.3 COMBINATION ROOF AND FLOOR BEAM ....................................................................... 59 6.3.1 DESCRIPTION ...............................................................................................................59

7. MULTI-SPAN BEAM MODULES 61 7.1 MULTI-SPAN ROOF BEAM.................................................................................................. 61

7.1.1 DESCRIPTION ...............................................................................................................61 UNBALANCED LOADS 61

UPLIFT FACTOR OF SAFETY 62 7.2 MULTI-SPAN FLOOR BEAM ............................................................................................... 62

7.2.1 DESCRIPTION ...............................................................................................................62 7.3 MULTI-LOADED BEAM........................................................................................................ 62

7.3.1 DESCRIPTION ...............................................................................................................62

8. JOISTS AND RAFTERS 65 8.1 FLOOR JOIST ....................................................................................................................... 65

8.1.1 DESCRIPTION ...............................................................................................................65 LOADING 65 I-JOISTS 65 PLYWOOD DECKING 66

8.1.2 CALCULATIONS ............................................................................................................ 66 I-JOIST CALCULATIONS 66 PLYWOOD CALCULATIONS 66

8.2 ROOF RAFTER..................................................................................................................... 67 8.2.1 DESCRIPTION ...............................................................................................................67

9. COLUMNS 69 9.1 INPUTS AND DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................... 69

DESCRIPTION 69 UNBRACED LENGTH 69 COLUMN DIMENSIONS 70 COLUMN END CONDITION 70 COLUMN BENDING COEFFICIENT 70 LOAD ECCENTRICITY 70 LATERAL LOADS 70 LAMINATED COLUMNS 71 MACHINE STRESS RATED LUMBER 71 STUD DESIGN 71

9.2 COLUMN CALCULATIONS.................................................................................................. 71 DEFLECTION 71 SHEAR 72 MOMENT 72 LOAD COMBINATIONS 72

9.3 WOOD COLUMNS ................................................................................................................73


9/120

9.3.1 PROPERTIES AND CALCULATIONS............................................................................73 TABULATED WOOD COLUMN DESIGN STRESSES 73 ADJUSTED DESIGN STRESSES 73 DURATION FACTOR AND LOAD CASES 73 SECTION MODULUS 73 COMPRESSION SLENDERNESS RATIO 74 COMPRESSIVE STRESS 74 BENDING STRESS 74 BASE REACTIONS 74 ADJUSTMENT FACTORS 75 COLUMN STABILITY FACTOR 75 BUILT UP COLUMNS 75 COMBINED STRESS FACTOR 75 COLUMN ADEQUACY 76

9.4 STEEL COLUMNS.................................................................................................................77 9.4.1 PROPERTIES AND CALCULATIONS............................................................................77

TABULATED STEEL COLUMN DESIGN PROPERTIES 77 COMPRESSIVE STRESS 77 COLUMN SLENDERNESS RATIO 77 ALLOWABLE COMPRESSIVE STRESS 77 BENDING STRESS 78 ALLOWABLE BENDING STRESS 78 EULERS STRESS 78 COLUMN COMBINED STRESS CALCULATIONS 78 BASE REACTIONS 79 COLUMN ADEQUACY 79

10. FOOTINGS 81 10.1 DESCRIPTION....................................................................................................................81

10.1.1 SQUARE/RECTANGULAR FOOTING INPUTS ........................................................81 COLUMN TYPE 81 LOADING 81 MATERIAL PROPERTIES 82 SOIL BEARING PRESSURE 82 REINFORCEMENT 82 CONCRETE COVER 83 PLAIN CONCRETE 83 COLUMN DIMENSIONS 83 BASEPLATE 83 FOOTING DIMENSIONS 84

10.1.2 CONTINUOUS FOOTING INPUTS.............................................................................85 STEMWALL TYPE AND WEIGHT 85

10.1.3 FOOTING DESIGN PROCESS...................................................................................85 10.1.4 INADEQUACY TROUBLESHOOTING........................................................................85

FOOTING SIZE INADEQUATE 85 FOOTING DEPTH INADEQUATE 85 ONE-WAY SHEAR FAILURE 86 PUNCHING SHEAR FAILURE 86 FOOTING WEIGHT EXCEEDS BEARING PRESSURE 86 BEARING INADEQUATE (SQUARE/RECTANGULAR FOOTING ONLY) 86 FAILURE IN BENDING 86 DEVELOPMENT LENGTH INADEQUATE 86 PLAIN CONCRETE FLEXURE FAILURE 86

10.2 CALCULATIONS................................................................................................................86 10.2.1 GENERAL CALCULATIONS.......................................................................................86

EFFECTIVE SOIL BEARING CAPACITY 86 LOADING 87 FOOTING SIZE 87 FOOTING DEPTH 87

10.2.2 BEARING CALCULATIONS (SQUARE/RECTANGULAR FOOTING ONLY) ............87


10/120

CONCRETE BEARING STRENGTH 87 10.2.3 PUNCHING SHEAR CALCULATIONS (SQUARE/RECTANGULAR FOOTING ONLY)88

CRITICAL PERIMETER 88 PUNCHING SHEAR 88 ALLOWABLE PUNCHING SHEAR STRESS 88 PUNCHING SHEAR ADEQUACY 89

10.2.4 BEAM SHEAR CALCULATIONS................................................................................89 BEAM SHEAR STRESS 89 ALLOWABLE BEAM SHEAR STRESS 89 BEAM SHEAR ADEQUACY 89

10.2.5 REINFORCEMENT CALCULATIONS........................................................................89 STEEL REQUIRED BASED ON MOMENT 89 MINIMUM STEEL REQUIREMENTS 90 SPACING REQUIREMENTS 91 REINFORCEMENT PROVIDED 91 BAND WIDTH REINFORCEMENT (RECTANGULAR FOOTINGS ONLY) 91

10.2.6 REINFORCEMENT DEVELOPMENT LENGTH CALCULATIONS............................ 91 DEVELOPMENT LENGTH REQUIRED (ACI 318-89) (Revised 1992) 91 DEVELOPMENT LENGTH REQUIRED (ACI 318-95,99) 92 DEVELOPMENT LENGTH PROVIDED 92

10.2.7 PLAIN CONCRETE CALCULATIONS........................................................................ 92

STRENGTH IN BENDING 92 NAILED LAMINATED COLUMNS 97 BOLTED LAMINATED COLUMNS 97

APPENDIX A - SOLID SAWN SPECIES CLASSIFICATIONAPPENDIX B - BOLTING AND NAILING REQUIREMENTS

FOR LAMINATED COLUMNSAPPENDIX C - NOMENCLATUREREFERENCESINDEX


11/120

PREFACEThe purpose of StruCalc is to provide a fast, easy-to-use, engineering tool to size most of thecommon structural members required for residential and light commercial design. StruCalc is notdesigned to replace the need for a structural engineer. However, it is intended for designers andarchitects to do preliminary sizing and design of structural members. Furthermore, StruCalc isdesigned to assist the structural engineer by performing many of the tedious and time consumingcalculations required for the simplest of structural applications. Its easy-to-use interface and singlemember design flexibility has also made it a valuable tool for many building officials across the UnitedStates.

The need for an easy-to-use structural program became evident to us after several years of residential and commercial design. A majority of our office time was spent doing repetitive and time-consuming hand calculations. Fortunately, the advent of the affordable personal computer opened anew era in engineering design. It gave the small, one-man businesses access to high end computingpower. However, most of the programs on the market were (and still are) complicated andexpensive. Therefore, we have endeavored to meet the need for a reasonably priced, fast, and easy-to-use structural analysis program.

We trust that StruCalc 6.0 will meet your needs and expectations.

The StruCalc Design Team


12/120


13/120

1. GETTING STARTED

1.1 MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, NT, or XP 486 CPU 4 MB of RAM 8 MB of free hard drive space

StruCalc will run on the minimum system shown above, but as is typical of most software, a faster machine will provide better performance.

1.2 INSTALLATION From CD:

1. Start Windows.2. Insert the StruCalc 6.0 CD in the CD-ROM drive.3. If the install program starts automatically skip to step 7.4. Click Start on the Windows taskbar and choose Settings .5. Click on the Control Panel folder.6. Double-click on the Add/Remove Programs folder and choose Install .7. Follow the directions on the screen.8. Contact Cascade Consulting Associates to receive your unlock code if required.

From Downloaded Install File:

1. Start Windows.2. Double Click on the Downloaded Executable.3. Follow the directions on the screen.4. Contact Cascade Consulting Associates to receive your unlock code if required.

1.3 RUNNING THE PROGRAM To run StruCalc 6.0 choose StruCalc 6.0 from the Start menu.

1.4 TECHNICAL SUPPORT If you did not order technical support when you purchased StruCalc 6.0 you will have 45 days of freeaccess to our technical support hotline from the date of purchase. If you would like to order technicalsupport after your free 45-day period has expired call us at (800) 279-1353 or go to our website andplace your order at www.strucalc.com. For technical support call (541) 753-6112 Monday through

Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Standard Time, fax questions to (541) 753-9422, or e-mail us at:[email protected].

1


14/120

2


15/120

2. TUTORIAL2.1 INTRODUCTION

This tutorial is intended for the first time user of StruCalc, or for any user who needs a review on howthe program works. In addition, this tutorial is intended to illustrate the ease in which StruCalc can beused to design structural members.

We will be designing several structural members found in a typical residence using the 2000International Building Code. See figure 2-1. First we will design the roof framing members and thenwe will systematically work our way through the floor framing and then down to the footings.

1 1 ' - 6 "

124

MULTI-SPAN ROOF BEAMROOF RAFTERS

ROOF POST

FLOOR JOISTS

9 ' - 0

"

MULTI-SPAN STEELFLOOR BEAMHEADER

STEEL COLUMN

SQUARE FOOTING

FIGURE 2-1 STRUCTURAL SECTION

3


16/120

2.2 ROOF FRAMING DESIGN To start off the structural analysis of the residence we will design three roof framing members: theroof rafters, a continuous roof beam, and a wood post. See figure 2-2

30'-0"

2 4 ' - 0 "

1 2 ' - 0 "

2 ' - 0 "

DESIGN POST

D E S I G N

R A F T E R

S @ 2 4 "

O. C.

15'-0" 15'-0"

DESIGN ROOF BEAM

FIGURE 2-2 ROOF FRAMING PLAN

2.2.1 ROOF RAFTER DESIGN The interior span length of the roof rafters in figure 2-2 is 12 feet and the eave span length is two feet.The unbraced length of the rafters is zero, because the rafters are continuously supported by the roof sheathing. The roof dead load is the combined weight of the roofing materials and the rafters, in thissituation it is 15 pounds per square foot. The region and applicable building code determine the roof live load, for this case it will be 25 pounds per square foot. (snow zone)

To design the rafters using StruCalc perform the following steps:

1. Start StruCalc 6.0 for Windows .

2. Click the Roof Rafter button.

4


17/120

3. Change the Member Toolbar to the following:

4. Change the Section Toolbar to the following:

5. Change the Roof Rafter Module inputs to the following (note that you can quickly move throughthe input boxes by pressing the tab key):

6. Click the Calculate button or press Enter.

The design is inadequate.

7. Click the Autosize button.

5


18/120

8. Highlight the #2 grade name and click the Autosize button.

9. Highlight the 5th entry and click Select and Return .

The design is adequate.

6


19/120

2.2.2 MULTI-SPAN ROOF BEAM DESIGN The length of the continuous beam in the center of the roof system is 30 feet. See figure 2-2. Thebeam is supported at the midpoint and therefore has two equal spans of 15 feet. The unbraced lengthof the top of the beam is two feet, because the roof rafters at that spacing laterally support the beam.

The unbraced length of the bottom of the beam is the distance between supports. The roof dead loadis the combined weight of the roofing materials and the rafters and in this situation is 15 pounds per square foot. Beam self-weight is taken into account by the program. The region and applicablebuilding code determine the roof live load, for this case it will be 25 pounds per square foot (snowzone). The beam is supporting a roof tributary width of six feet on both sides and the roof pitch is4:12.

To design this beam using StruCalc perform the following steps:

1. Click the Multi-Span Roof Beam button.


Note: In this case we have chosen to use an unbalanced glulam, 24F-V4, for a multi-spansituation. Generally, we would choose a balanced glulam, 24F-V8, for a multi-span situationbecause it is much more efficient. However, when designing glulam beams for small projects,the cost of a 24F-V8 and the time it takes to get one (lumber yards usually have to special order them) is often times not justified.

3. Change the Multi-Span Roof Beam Module to the following:


5. Highlight the 24F-V4 grade name and click the Autosize button.

7


20/120

6. Highlight the 2nd entry and click Select and Return .

The design is adequate.

8


21/120

2.2.3 ROOF COLUMN DESIGN The length of the column supporting the multi-span roof beam is approximately 11 feet. See figure2-1. The unbraced length is 11 feet in both the X and Y direction. For this design we will assumea pinned-pinned condition, therefore Ke is equal to one. The live (snow) load on the column is 5625lbs and the dead load is 3873 lbs as shown in figure 2-3 below under Reactions Line B. The loadeccentricity is zero in both directions and the duration factor is 1.15 due to the roof snow load.

FIGURE 2-3 MULTI-SPAN ROOF BEAM LOADING DIAGRAM

To design this column using StruCalc perform the following steps:

1. Click the Column button.


3. Change the Column Module to the following:

9


22/120



6. Highlight the 2 nd entry and click Select and Return .

The design is adequate:

Congratulations! You have finished designing the roof members now move on to the floor framing.

10


23/120


24/120

3. Change the Floor Joist Module to the following:



12


25/120

6. Highlight the 2 nd entry and click Select and Return .

The design is adequate

2.3.2 HEADER DESIGN The length of the header in figure 2-4 is five feet six inches long. The unbraced length at the top of the header is 16 inches, the same as the joist spacing. Note: If there were a knee wall above theheader, then the unbraced length would be the distance between supports, not 16 inches on center.The unbraced length of the bottom of the header is the distance between supports. The floor deadload is the combined weight of the floor materials and the joists, in this situation it is 15 pounds per square foot. Beam self-weight is taken into account by the program. The applicable building codedetermines the floor live load, for this case it will be 40 pounds per square foot. The header issupporting a floor tributary width of six feet. The roof live load and dead load is 25 psf and 15 psf,respectively. The header is supporting a roof tributary width of 8.17 feet as shown in figure 2-5 under Lower Equiv. Tributary Width. The roof pitch is 4:12. The wall above the header is eight feet tall andit weighs approximately 10 psf/per foot of wall height, therefore the total wall load on the header is 80plf.

Note: Additional load is transferred to the lower bearing support when roof rafters have cantileveredeaves. StruCalc automatically calculates this additional load in terms of tributary width so that it canbe conveniently entered into the beam modules. In this case, the equivalent tributary width (8.17) isonly .17 longer then the actual tributary width (8) and therefore will make little difference in the rafter design. However, in some cases the additional load transferred to the lower bearing supportbecause of cantilevered rafters is substantial therefore it is important to check the lower equivalenttributary width of each rafter design.

13


26/120

FIGURE 2-5 ROOF RAFTER PRINTOUT

To design the header using StruCalc perform the following steps:

1. Click the Combination Roof and Floor Beam button.


3. Change the Combination Roof and Floor Beam module to the following:


14


27/120


6. Highlight the 1 st entry and click Select and Return .


15


28/120

2.3.3 MULTI-SPAN STEEL FLOOR BEAM DESIGN The length of the continuous beam in the center of the floor system in figure 2-4 is 30 feet. A columnsupports the beam 20 feet from the left side of the residence. The beam consists of two spans: 20feet and 10 feet. The unbraced length at the top of the beam is 16 inches because the floor joistsprovide lateral support at that spacing. The unbraced length at the bottom of the beam is thedistance between supports. The floor dead load is the combined weight of the floor materials and the

joists, in this situation it is 15 pounds per square foot. The beam self-weight is taken into account bythe program. The applicable building code determines the uniform floor live load, for this case it willbe 40 pounds per square foot. There is a point load on the beam 15 feet from the left support. Seefigure 2-4. The live (snow) load is 5625 lbs and the dead load is 3970 lbs as shown in figure 2-6below under Vertical Reactions.

FIGURE 2-6 ROOF POST PRINTOUT

To design this beam using StruCalc perform the following steps:

1. Click the Multi-Span Floor Beam button.


3. Change the Material Toolbar to the following:

16


29/120

4. Change the Multi-Span Floor Beam Module to the following:


6. Highlight W8, W10, and W12 shapes and click the Autosize button.

17


30/120

7. Highlight the 1st entry and click Select and Return .


2.3.4 STEEL COLUMN DESIGN The length of the column supporting the multi-span floor beam is approximately nine feet. See figure2-1. The unbraced length of the column is nine feet in both the X and Y direction. For this columndesign we will assume a pinned-pinned condition, therefore Ke is equal to one. The exact columnbending coefficient (Cm) may be calculated or it may be assumed to be equal to one, which is aconservative assumption. In this case we will assume that Cm is equal to one. The live load on thecolumn is 15964 lbs and the dead load is 8632 lbs as shown in figure 2-7 under Reactions Line B.The load eccentricity on the post is zero in both directions. However it is recommended that aminimum eccentricity of one inch or 1/10 th of the member dimension be used, whichever is greater.In this situation we will assume an eccentricity of in both directions to be conservative. Note thateccentricity will significantly affect the column design, however its inclusion is not required by any of the building codes. The duration factor of the loads on the column is 1.00.

18


31/120

FIGURE 2-7 MULTI-SPAN FLOOR BEAM LOADING DIAGRAM

To design this column using StruCalc perform the following steps:

1. Click the Column button.


3. Change the Material Toolbar to the following:

4. Change the Column Module to the following:


19


32/120

6. Highlight 3 in., 3.5 in., and 4 in. Square and click the Autosize button.

7. Highlight the 2nd entry and click Select and Return .


Congratulations! You have finished designing the floor framing members of the residence in thistutorial.

20


33/120

2.4 FOUNDATION DESIGN To finish off this tutorial we will size a square footing to support the steel column that we justdesigned.

2.4.1 SQUARE FOOTING DESIGN

The footing is supporting a 3 x 3 x 1/4 tube steel column. The baseplate is a 9 x 9 x steelplate. The allowable soil bearing pressure in this case is 1500 psf. The live load and dead load onthe footing are 15964 lbs and 8727 lbs, respectively. See figure 2-8. The concrete compressivestrength used in this design is 2500 psi, therefore no special inspection is required. The steelreinforcement bars are #4s with a yield strength of 40000psi.

FIGURE 2-8 STEEL COLUMN PRINTOUT

To design this footing using StruCalc perform the following steps:

1. Click the Footing button.

2. Change the Footing Module to the following and click the Calculate button:

The footing size and development length is inadequate.

21


34/120

To determine the specific factors that have affected the adequacy you can click on the adequacybutton to the right of the adequacy bar:

Although there are a number of factors the first step is to change the size of the footing to providesufficient bearing area, most of the time this will solve all of the other issues.

As you can see the footing width and footing area required are shown at the bottom of the inputscreen. The required footing width is 4.24 ft. Therefore, change the input box labeled FootingWidth from 3 feet to 4.25 feet and click the calculate button again.

The footing is now adequate.

Congratulations! You have finished the StruCalc 6.0 tutorial.

22


35/120

3. USING THE PROGRAM3.1 HELP

QUICKHELPStruCalc provides on-screen help by displaying information on the Help Toolbar pertaining to theinput that has focus. The contents of each subject can be viewed by either scrolling through theQuickhelp or by clicking on the Help Toolbar. If the Help Toolbar is turned off the user can accessQuickhelp by pressing the F1 key.

HELP FILEIf more thorough help is required than that which is provided by the Quickhelp, the entire help file canbe accessed by pressing the F1 key.

MORE HELPAdditional help and a FAQ can be found on our website at www.strucalc.com. Please feel free toemail any questions to [email protected] free of charge or you can purchase phone technicalsupport; see section 1.4 of this manual.

3.2 AUTOSIZE The AutoSize feature is a fast and efficient way to size structural members. Furthermore, it allows aneasy comparison of several different adequate members so that the most efficient member may beselected.

1. After the loading information has been entered into the appropriate input boxes, click theAutoSize button on the Analysis Toolbar.

2. Select the type of material to AutoSize (solid sawn, glulams, etc.) from the pull down box.

3. Select the species or manufacturer (Douglas Fir-Larch, Boise Cascade, etc.) to AutoSizefrom the pull down box.

4. Select the grade of material to AutoSize. Several different grades may be sized at thesame time by either clicking the first grade and dragging the cursor to the last one youwould like to size; or holding down the Ctrl key while individually selecting severalgrades.

5. Click the AutoSize button.

6. When the autosizing is done the adequate members will be displayed. If there are noadequate members for a particular grade, N/A will be displayed. Choose one member and click the Select and Return button. The program will return to the module with themember chosen.

Note: The AutoSize feature automatically calculates and displays several adequate member sizes for each grade chosen. Therefore, the calculation intensive modules, such as the Multi-span and theMulti-loaded, can cause the AutoSize process to take a long time.

23


36/120

3.3 CALCULATE The Calculate button on the Analysis Toolbar starts the calculation process to determine if themember selected is adequate. After the required inputs are entered or a new member size isselected, click the Calculate button. If the member is not adequate, adjust the input parameters or increase the member size and click the Calculate button again. Pressing the Enter key on the

keyboard can also perform the calculation.

3.4 STRESS VALUES The stress values for the species chosen can be viewed by clicking the Stress Values button on theSection toolbar. The grade can be changed by double clicking on the grade in the stress values list.Stress values cannot be modified, the database includes all of the wood species available in the NDSand steel shapes out of the AISC steel design manual.

3.5 SECTION PROPERTIES The section properties box can be opened by clicking the Section Properties button on the AnalysisToolbar. The section properties box is refreshed and brought to the front each time the analysis is

calculated. Section properties are not available for the column and footing modules.

3.6 LOADING DIAGRAM Loading diagrams are available for all of the beam modules. To view the loading diagram for aparticular analysis, click the Loading Diagram button on the Analysis Toolbar. The reactions and theloads on the beam are displayed in the box directly below the diagram. The loading diagram can beprinted after viewing by clicking the Print button. StruCalc can also be configured to automaticallyprint the loading diagram with the standard print-out, see section 3.12 for printing options.

3.7 SHEAR, MOMENT, AND DEFLECTION DIAGRAMS

Shear, moment, and deflection diagrams are available for all of the beam modules. To view thediagrams for a particular analysis, click the Shear/Moment/Deflection Diagrams button on theAnalysis Toolbar.

Once the diagrams are displayed the user may scroll across any one of the diagrams and the shear,moment, and deflection at that point will be displayed in the boxes at the bottom of the screen. Theshear, moment and deflection at any location along the beam can also be viewed by simply inputtingthe desired point in the box that is labeled Location and then pressing the Calculate button. Thecontrolling shear, moment, and deflection diagrams are the default diagrams, but the user can scrollthrough the drop down box at the bottom of the screen to select the desired load combinations andthe corresponding diagrams will be displayed. . The Shear/Moment/Deflection Diagram can beprinted after viewing by clicking the Print button. StruCalc can also be configured to automaticallyprint the Shear/Moment/Deflection Diagram with the standard print-out, see section 3.12 for printingoptions.

3.8 CALCULATOR StruCalc has the ability to open the Windows calculator by clicking the Calculator button on theAnalysis Toolbar. If a different calculator is desired, rename the desired calculator to Scalc.exe andput it in the Struc50 directory.

24


37/120

3.9 USER NOTES User notes may be added to the bottom of the printouts of each member by clicking the User Notesbutton on the Analysis Toolbar. The member file must be opened to add user notes.

3.10 CHANGING THE BUILDING CODE The building code can be changed by clicking the Settings button on the Analysis Toolbar and thenselecting the desired code. The last code used upon exiting the program will become the default codein the next session. The NDS version can be selected separately if a different version is desired,check with your local building department to determine if they will accept a newer version for design.StruCalc automatically defaults to the NDS specified by the chosen building code.

StruCalc allows designs in several different codes at the same time. Because of this feature a dialogbox will appear if more than one module is open when the code is changed. Follow the directions inthe dialog box to change all of the open modules to the new code or to change the code for the activemodule only.

3.11 CHANGING THE PROGRAM APPEARANCE The background color of the modules and the textbox colors can be changed by clicking the Settings button on the Analysis Toolbar and then choosing Appearance from the tabs at the top of the form.To change the color for a certain part of the form click the area of the dialog box that represents thepart of the form for which a color change is desired. A color dialog box will appear. The PreviousColors button changes the colors to the previous color selections. Changes are immediate andreflected in all forms opened.

The Help Toolbar and Analysis Toolbar can be turned on/off in this portion of the form. Turning off the toolbars can provide extra working space for users with small screens; all of the functions on thetoolbar can be done using hotkeys and shortcuts. If the checkbox labeled Maximize Forms WhenOpened is checked all design modules will be maximized (as opposed to minimized) when opened.

3.12 PRINTING

3.12.1 PRINTING MEMBERS Printing member information can be accomplished in several different ways and in several differentformats.

PRINTING FROM THE MODULEThe current analysis can be sent to the printer by clicking the Print Analysis button on the AnalysisToolbar. The print dialog box will appear and the print parameters can be set as desired. Click on thePrint button to print the analysis.

PRINTING MULTIPLE MEMBERSPrinting multiple members can only be accomplished in the Project Manager. See section 3.15.2.

PRINTING TO SCREENThe current analysis can be displayed on the screen by clicking the Preview Analysis button on theAnalysis Toolbar. The preview shows the layout of the member information that will be sent to theprinter. The print preview can be zoomed in and out by clicking the Zoom button on the upper leftcorner of the module.

25


38/120

PRINTING TO FILEThe current analysis can be printed to a text file by clicking the Print to File button on the AnalysisToolbar. The text file produced can be opened and edited by most word processing programs. Thefile will automatically be given a txt extension.

3.12.2 CHANGING THE PRINTING SETTINGS

MARGINSThe margins used for the printouts can be changed by adjusting the scroll bars for the left, right, topand bottom margins in the Printing portion of the Settings form. (Note: moving the left margin arrowwhile print previewing the analysis can also change the left margin) The margin widths are in inchesand they are in addition to the required hard margins defined by the print area of the specific printer inuse. The outline shows the paper size and orientation, and the white rectangle shows the area thatwill be printed. New margin settings are immediately saved and will be used for future sessions. TheDefault Margins command button reloads the original margin settings.

TABSThe tab locations of the columns on the printouts can be modified while print previewing the analysisby dragging and dropping the tab indicators, at the top of the form, to the desired location. The newlocations are saved and will be used for print previewing the analysis and printing. The Default Tabs command button reloads the tabs to their original default locations.

FONTSThe Fonts command button in the Printing form brings up the printer font dialog box, which allows theselection of a different font, font style, and font size. These parameters are immediately saved andwill be used for future sessions. Note that not all fonts will format correctly in StruCalc. Werecommend that you not change the font from the default font.

SETUP

The Setup button opens the printer setup dialog box. The printer settings are unique to the printer inuse and use the same printer drivers used by other Windows applications. If there is difficulty printingfrom StruCalc please check other Windows applications. If word processors, spreadsheet programs,and etc. are not printing, then the printing problem is not a result of the StruCalc program. In thesecases please refer to the Windows manual.

PRINT SELECTIONThe amount of information on the printouts can be modified using the Printing portion of the Settingsform. Different sections of the printouts can be turned on and off by clicking on the checkboxes under Sections to Print. Note: The short summary, deflections/reactions, input/loading, andproperties/calculations will not be combined on the same page with the Loading Diagram or the VMDDiagram. The page break option only affects multiple member printing from the Project Manager, seesection 3.15.2. Under Diagram Options there are two checkboxes, if the first one is checked thenevery time the loading diagram is printed the VMD Diagram will also be printed on the same page,and vice-versa. If the second box is checked the loading diagram summary will always be printedwith the loading diagram.

3.13 CHANGING THE USER/COMPANY NAME The user name and company name that appear on the printouts can be changed by clicking theSettings button on the Analysis Toolbar, and then choosing User from the tabs at the top of the form.

26


39/120

The four captions display the user name, company name, Id number and serial number. Only theuser name and the company name can be changed. Click on the caption to enter a new user nameand company.

3.14 CHANGING THE USER OPTIONS/DEFAULT VALUES The user options and default values can be changed by clicking the Settings button on the AnalysisToolbar and then choosing Options from the tabs at the top of the form. All the modules in StruCalcuse the design options/default values that are listed, therefore it is important that the preferred designoptions are selected and the correct default values are entered. See the pertinent part of the manualfor specific information on individual options.

3.15 MODIFYING PROJECTS StruCalc organizes members into projects, which are files containing all of the individual member designs. Most modification of projects and files is done using the Project Manager. Projects can beopened, printed, deleted, renamed, and copied using the Project Manager. Although the ProjectManager is a powerful tool it was not designed to replace the Windows File Manager, so its functionsare limited.

3.15.1 SAVING MEMBERS Members are saved in each individual module by clicking the Save button on the Analysis Toolbar.The project name is entered into the project text box. The location text box is used to identify themember within the project. If the project already exists, the member will be added to the project file.If the program cannot find the project in the default directory, a save dialog box will appear and thetarget drive and directory can be specified. A . pr6 extension is automatically added to the projectname.

3.15.2 PROJECT MANAGER The Project Manager is used to manipulate project files (files with .pr6 extensions). A project filecontains all of the design members for a given project. Your current projects should be listed under the Projects heading at the left side of the project manager. Click on the project you want to view andthe members in the project will appear to the right. The control buttons at the top of the ProjectManager can be used to perform various functions depending on which list box has focus.

CREATING A NEW PROJECTNew projects can be created by clicking New Project in the Project Manager and entering a newproject name in the Project dialog box or by specifying a new project when saving a member from ananalysis. The new project becomes the default project for any subsequently saved members.

CHANGING THE DIRECTORYYou can change the directory by clicking Change Directory in the toolbar and browsing to the new

directory and then choosing the project file you want to open.

RETRIEVING AN EXISTING MEMBER FROM A PROJECTTo open an existing member click Open in the Project Manager after the desired member in themember list box has been highlighted. The design analysis specified will be opened. Double clicking on the desired member name will also open the design analysis.

27


40/120

COPYING PROJECTSTo copy projects click Copy in the Project Manager after the project to be copied is highlighted in theproject list box. The copy dialog box will appear. Members can also be copied by opening thedesired member and renaming it before saving.

RENAMING PROJECTS AND MEMBERS

To rename projects and members click Rename in the Project Manager while the desired project or member is highlighted in the Project or Member list box. The rename dialog box will appear and thenew name can be entered.

DELETING PROJECTS AND MEMBERSTo delete a project or member click Delete in the Project Manager while the desired project or member is highlighted in the Project or Member list box.

PRINTING MULTIPLE MEMBERSMultiple members in a project can be printed from the Project Manager. Select the desired membersto be printed and click the Print button. Select the desired format and click Ok . Several memberscan be selected by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on the members to be printed.

PRINTING MULTIPLE MEMBERS TO FILEMultiple members in a project can be printed to file by using the Project Manager. Select the desiredmembers to be printed to file and click the Print to File button. Choose the desired format and click Ok . Several members can be selected by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on the members tobe printed to file.

3.16 SHORTCUTS AND HOTKEYS There are several ways to perform most of the common functions in StruCalc without using a mouse.These shortcuts are especially helpful when the toolbars are turned off.

OPENING A DESIGN MODULE:

TO PRESSOpen Square Footing Shift + F1Open Uniformly Loaded Floor Beam Shift + F2Open Roof Beam Shift + F3Open Combination Roof and Floor Beam Shift + F4Open Multi-Loaded Beam Shift + F5Open Multi-Span Floor Beam Shift + F6Open Multi-Span Roof Beam Shift + F7Open Floor Joist Shift + F8Open Floor Joist Shift + F9Open Columns Shift + F11

FROM ANYWHERE IN THE PROGRAM:

TO PRESSExit StruCalc Ctrl + EOpen Settings Ctrl + GOpen Help F1Open Project Manager Ctrl + MOpen a Project Ctrl + O

ONLY FROM A DESIGN MODULE:

28


41/120

TO PRESSOpen Loading Diagram Ctrl + DClose Module Ctrl + LPrint Analysis Ctrl + PPreview Analysis Ctrl + RSave a member Ctrl + SPrinter setup Ctrl + TOpen Section Properties Ctrl + UCalculate Enter Toggle between open modules Ctrl + F6

3.17 TOOLBARS

3.17.1 ANALYSIS TOOLBAR The Analysis Toolbar is a useful way to open the different StruCalc modules and quickly perform thecommon program functions. When the mouse pointer is moved over a toolbar button, a description of that buttons function appears on the left side of the screen.

The first ten buttons on the left are used to quickly access StruCalcs ten design modules. To open anew module, simply click on the icon representing the desired module.

The two buttons grouped together in the center represent the functions Calculate and AutoSize .

The last eleven buttons control the following functions: Loading Diagram,Shear/Moment/Deflection Diagrams, Section Properties, Preview Analysis , Print , Print to File ,Project Manager, Save Analysis, Settings , User Notes, and Calculator.

3.17.2 MEMBER TOOLBAR The Member Toolbar contains the information describing the type of member to be used for thedesign.

The button on the left toggles between Wet and Dry use conditions. See section 4.2.10 for commentary.

The material type, species/manufacturer, and grade are chosen from the next three pull down boxes.See section 4.2.1 for commentary. The label at the far right of the toolbar indicates the materialgroup being used.

3.17.3 SECTION TOOLBAR The Section Toolbar contains information about the physical size of the member including number of laminations, width, depth, spacing for joist and rafters, and notch depth. The Stress Values button isalso located on the Section Toolbar.

29


42/120

3.17.4 FACTOR TOOLBAR The Factor Toolbar contains information concerning the design criteria that will be used to design themember in question.

The live load and total load deflection criteria as well as the duration factor and camber adjustmentfactor inputs are on the Factor Toolbar. All of these inputs are not relevant for every material typeand design module; therefore they will not always appear on the Factor Toolbar.

3.17.5 HELP TOOLBAR The Help Toolbar displays a summary of information about an object that has focus. The scrollbarsto the right can be used to view the help summary if the information is longer than one line. Inaddition, the summary of information may also be viewed in a dialog box by clicking on the HelpToolbar.

3.17.6 RESULTS TOOLBAR The Results Toolbar displays adequacy information. The Adequacy Button at the right end of theResults Toolbar displays a visual reminder of the design adequacy. The Adequacy button is green if the inputs are within bounds, yellow if they are questionable or an extra note is included on theoutput, and red if the inputs are out of bounds or the design is inadequate. Click on the AdequacyButton to display any notes concerning the design. All of the notes are printed on the output.

30


43/120

4. DESIGN OVERVIEW4.1 DESIGN PROCESS

Designing a structural member with StruCalc can be accomplished in two different ways, by either trial and error, or by using the AutoSize feature. The basic design process is as follows:

1. Determine all of the design parameters and code requirements, such as space limitationsand code required live loads.

2. Input all of the loading information.

3. Click the AutoSize button and have StruCalc size several adequate members or continue to step 4.

4. Choose a material, type, and grade.

5. Enter a trial size in the width and depth pull down boxes.

6. Click the Calculate button (=).

7. Inspect the Adequacy Bar to determine if the member is adequate.

8. If the member is adequate, attempt to reduce the size to optimize the material use.

9. If the member is inadequate, modify the inputs until the member is adequate.

4.2 DESCRIPTION OF BASIC BEAM INPUTS

4.2.1 MATERIALS The materials used for design are selected using the three pull down boxes at the top of the StruCalcmodule in the member toolbar. The contents of the boxes change depending on the module andcode chosen.

MATERIAL TYPEThe material type differentiates between solid sawn lumber, glulams, structural composite, steel, tubesteel, flitch beam, and I-joists.

SPECIES/MANUFACTURERThe species box differentiates between the different species for solid sawn lumber and glulams, thestructural composite/I-joist manufactures, and steel/tube steel shapes.

GRADEThe grade box differentiates between the grades of solid sawn lumber, the combination symbol of glulams, the specific steel/tube steel shapes, and the specific manufactured structural composite or I-

joist.

31


44/120

4.2.2 MEMBER DESCRIPTION

LAMINATIONSStruCalc allows the lamination of dimensional lumber and structural composite. The programincludes the total area of the laminated members in all calculations.

A professional should design the connection of the laminated members. Care should be taken toinsure that any unbalanced loading of the members is properly transferred through all laminations toavoid a shear failure. Consult the manufacturer for structural composite connection information.

WIDTH/DEPTHThe width and depth are entered using pull down list boxes. These boxes are loaded with the mostcommon sizes for the material chosen. Note that the program uses the actual net sizes of the lumber not the nominal size (i.e. a 2x4 is entered as 1.5x 3.5). The program will automatically switch thedepth increments to the correct size when changing from dimensional lumber to beams and stringersor posts and timbers. The width and depth can be overridden by typing over the value in the box.StruCalc does not allow the width of the beam to be greater than the depth.

SPACINGThe spacing of joists and rafters is chosen from the values in the pull down box on the sectiontoolbar. These values can be overridden by manually typing in the desired spacing.

NOTCH DEPTHStruCalc allows the notching of wood members for bearing over a support within the limits set by theNDS. See figure 4-1. For solid sawn lumber, the maximum allowable notch depth is d/4. For glulambeams, the AITC 1 has recommended that the notch depth not exceed d/10. Furthermore, the 97NDS 5,9 does not allow the maximum allowable notch depth of a glulam beam to exceed d/10. Pleasenote that these notches should be avoided whenever possible.

SAMPLE BEAM

NOTCH DEPTH (nd)

D E P T H ( d )

FIGURE 4-1 SAMPLE NOTCH DEPTH

32


45/120

SPANThe span length (L1, L2, and L3) is the plan view projected length measured from center to center of supports. The length shown in the short summary is the plan view length of all spans. The actuallength is the total of the slope or pitch adjusted lengths of all portions of the beam (see section 4.2.7for slope adjustment commentary).

Note: The output from StruCalc should not be used for a materials list without first accountingfor end bearing length and conditions.

TRIBUTARY WIDTHThe tributary width (TW) is the loaded area bearing on the beam. This is usually half the joist or rafter span.

4.2.3 DEFLECTION CRITERIAThe inputs for the live and total load deflection limits are in pull down boxes, which list the commonvalues for roof and floor loading. The listed inputs can be overridden manually by inputting thedesired value. The default values for floor beam loading are L/360 live load and L/240 dead load andfor roof loading are L/240 live load and L/180 total load.

RECOMMENDED DEFLECTION CRITERIAThe default live and dead load deflection limits listed above are based on the code required minimumvalues and should be considered the minimum used for ideal conditions. Higher values should beused in situations where deflections are critical. This determination is highly subjective and requiresprofessional judgment. For example, the code minimum values for floor joists may result in abouncy feel for long spans, therefore the default values, in StruCalc, for floor joist loading are L/480live load and L/360 dead load.

The allowable deflection is calculated based on the inputted deflection limits and the interior spanlength. The actual deflection ratio is printed next to the deflections on the output.

DEFLECTION LIMIT CALCULATIONS FOR INTERIOR SPANS

The maximum allowable live load deflection limit:

( )criteria

max LLDft

in12LLLD

=

The maximum allowable total load deflection limit:

( )TLD

L in ftmax =

12

TLD criteria

The actual live load deflection ratio:

( )LLD

L in ftratio =

12

LLD

The actual total load deflection ratio:

( )TLD

L in ftratio =

12

TLD

33


46/120

DEFLECTION LIMIT OPTIONS FOR CANTILEVERSThe cantilever deflection criteria can be changed from 1x the span length to 2x the span length.Open the Settings form by clicking the Settings button on the Analysis Toolbar and then choose theOptions tab from the tabs at the top of the form. To illustrate how the allowable live load deflectionlimit would be changed the new equation has been shown below:

( )criteria

max LLDftin12L2LLD =

Note: All the beam modules in StruCalc will use the cantilever deflection option that isselected therefore it is important that the preferred option is chosen.

4.2.4 DURATION FACTOR The inputs for the duration factor are in pull down boxes, which list the common code values for typical loading. The listed inputs can be overridden manually by inputting the desired value. Thedefault values for each module are 1.15 for roof snow loads, 1.25 for roof non-snow loads, 1.33 for wind or seismic loads, and 1.0 for floor loading.

CODE REQUIRED DURATION FACTOR VALUESDue to the elastic properties of wood, adjustments are made in the program to consider the durationfactor in moment and bending calculations. The 91 and 97 NDS 5,9 Appendix B specifies modificationfactors for loading of other than Normal load duration." Normal load duration is defined in sectionB.1.1 as applying the maximum tabulated stresses for approximately ten years, either continuously or cumulatively. A duration factor corresponding to the load of shortest duration is to be applied to eachload case. Dead and total load cases should be reviewed with the appropriate duration factor toensure that the maximum stresses are allowed for in design. Common values of the duration factor (Cd) are shown below per NDS 5,9

DURATION TYPE OF LOAD DURATION FACTOR Permanent Dead load 0.90Normal Occupancy live load 1.00Two months Snow load 1.15Seven Days Construction/Roof load 1.25Ten Minutes Wind/Seismic load 1.60One Second Impact load 2.00

CONTROLLING DURATION FACTOR DETERMINATIONThe controlling duration factor for most roof and floor loading is the inputted live load value. In somecases where the dead load contributes the majority of the load, the permanent duration factor willcontrol. StruCalc checks the inputted value against the permanent duration factor to determine thecontrolling duration factor. An example of this process is illustrated below.

If Dead Load Total Load

Inputted Cd0 90.>

Then the controlling duration factor (Cd) will be 0.90 and the controlling load will be the inputted deadload.

If Dead Load Total Load

Inputted Cd0 90.<

34


47/120

Then the controlling duration factor (Cd) will be the inputted duration factor and the controlling loadwill be the total load.

If the inputted duration factor is equal to 0.90 then the controlling load will be the total load.

4.2.5 SNOW/NON-SNOW

The roof beam and roof rafter modules allow the user to choose either a snow or non-snow region.For snow regions the live load is determined by the local building official and is entered by the user.For non-snow regions the program will determine the code required minimum live loads based on themethod chosen. The alternate non-snow method allows the user to enter a live load other than whatis determined by the code.

The different building codes use method 1, method 2, or both methods. See Table 4-1. The liveloads for method one are based on the roof pitch and area loaded. The live loads for method two arealso based on roof pitch and area loaded but they are determined as a percentage of the base load.

METHOD 1 METHOD2

TRIBUTARY LOADED AREA IN RATE OF

ROOF SLOPE SQUARE FEET FOR ANY REDUC- MAX.STRUCTURAL MEMBER UNIFORM TION- (r) REDUC-

0 TO 200 201 TO 600 OVER 600 LOAD (%) TION (%)1. Flat or rise less 20 16 12 20 0.08 40Than 4 in. per ft.2. Rise 4 in. per ft. to 16 14 12 16 0.06 25Less than 12 in. per ft.3. Rise 12 in. per ft. 12 12 12 12 NO REDUCTIONAnd greater ALLOWED

TABLE 4-1 MINIMUM ROOF LIVE LOADS

Method 2 only applies for members supporting roof areas greater than 150 square feet.

Roof load reduction percentage (when applicable) based on roof loaded area bearing on beam:

( )R r RLA1 150=

Where RLA is the roof loaded area in square feet and r is the rate of reduction from the minimum roof live loads table.

4.2.6 UNBRACED LENGTH Determination and understanding of the unbraced length is a very important part of member design.The adequacy of a particular beam can be dramatically affected by the lateral support provided. The

unbraced length for simple span beam modules refers to the top of the beam, which in all simplysupported gravity loaded cases is in compression.

Multi-Span beams and cantilevers, due to their loading geometry, generally have moment reversals,which cause the bottom portion of the beam to be in compression. In StruCalc the unbraced length of the bottom of multi-span beams and cantilever beams defaults to the distance between supports andthe distance from the cantilever end to the support; the reason being that unless bracing isspecifically called out on plans the bottom of beams are usually always unbraced. The unbracedlength of the bottom of multi-span joists also defaults to the distance between supports unless somesort of sheathing (i.e. plywood, gwb, etc.) is applied to the joists bottom. If sheathing is applied to the

35


48/120

bottom of multi-span joists, the box labeled Bracing Applied to Bottom of Joists (in the floor joistmodule) needs to be checked to provide an accurate joist design.

For wood design, the NDS allows two different methods for the determination of lateral stability inbeams. StruCalc uses the empirical method of reducing the allowable bending stress for largeunbraced lengths. The rule of thumb method is also allowed by the NDS and can be used bysetting the unbraced length to zero and hand checking the stability requirements.

For steel beam design, the unbraced length is much more critical than it is in wood design since steelmembers generally have very slender portions in compression. As a result, the proper determinationof the unbraced length is very critical for insuring a safe and practical design.

Engineering judgment is always required to determine how and when a beam is braced and what isconsidered fully braced.

4.2.7 SLOPE ADJUSTMENTS

DESIGN BEAM

TRIBUTARY WIDTH (TW)

L

A D J U S T

E D R A F T

E R T R I B U

T A R Y W

I D T H ( T W

a d j ) UPPERBEARING POINT

R O O F D E

A D L O A D

ROOF LIVE LOAD

12 IN.

RP(IN)ROOF PITCH

FIGURE 4-2 SLOPE ADJUSTED BEAM LOADING

36


49/120

The program adjusts the live load, dead load, and beam length to account for roof pitch and beamslope. As the roof pitch increases, a greater roof surface area is bearing on the supporting membersthus increasing the dead loads. In addition, when beams are sloped (i.e., a difference in elevationbetween beam ends) the live load, dead load, and beam length are adjusted.

ROOF BEAM-ROOF PITCH ADJUSTMENTS

Live loads are not adjusted for roof pitch since the tributary width (TW) of the load does not change.Dead loads are increased due to roof pitch since an increase in pitch increases the rafter length for agiven rafter tributary width. See Figure 4-2.

RARP=

tan 112

( )TWadj

TWRA

=cos

wD (adjusted for pitch) = TWadj wD

Where:RA is the roof angle.RP is the roof pitch in inches per foot.TWadj is the adjusted rafter tributary width.TW is the rafter tributary width.

Example : Rafter tributary width of 10 feet, roof pitch 6:12, roof dead load 20 psf.

RA = =tan .1

612

26 56 o

TWadjft= =10

2656cos .o 11.2 ft

wD (adjusted for pitch) = 11.2 ft 20 psf = 223 plf

ROOF BEAM-SLOPE AND ROOF PITCH ADJUSTMENTSThe tributary dead loads are calculated to account for the roof pitch (see calculations above).However, no adjustment is made for the live loads. As the slope of the beam increases, the actuallength of the beam increases but the total vertical load projected on the beam does not increase. Thesame vertical load consequently is spread over a longer beam length therefore moment anddeflection calculations for beams with a high pitch can be significantly affected.

Therefore, to avoid an overly conservative design and to calculate the beam live and dead loadsmore accurately, an adjustment is made to consider only the components of the loads that are actingperpendicular to the centroidal axis of the beam. See Figure 4-3.

The following commentary and equations below illustrate how the loads are adjusted for a beam thatis sloped.

BAELL

= tan 1

37


50/120

LadjLBA

=cos( )

Where:BA is the beam angle.L is the beam span (horizontal projected length).

EL is the beam end elevation difference.Ladj is the slope adjusted beam length.

BEAM LOAD

BEAM LOAD ACTING OVER Ladj= BEAM LOAD x COS(BA)BA

D EA D A

N D L I V E L

OA D S

S L O P E A D

J U S T E D B

EA M L E N G

T H ( L a d j )

BEAM ANGLE (BA)

BEAM SPAN (L)

B E A M E N D E L E V A T I O N

D I F F E R E N C E ( E L )

FIGURE 4-3 ADJUSTED LOADS ON SLOPED BEAM

Live load adjustments:

BLL' = TW RLL

TLL = BLL' L

BLLadj TLLLadj

=

wL = BLLadj cos(BA)

Where:BLL' is the beam live load acting over span L.TW is the rafter tributary width.RLL is the roof live load.

38


51/120

TLL is the total live load bearing on the beam.BLLadj is the total live load spread over Ladj (slope adjusted beam).wL is the linear live load acting perpendicular to the beam which is used in beam designcalculations.

Dead load adjustments:

BDL = wD(adjusted for pitch) See section 4.2.7.

TDL = BDL' L

BDLadjTDLLadj

=

wD = BDLadj cos(BA)

Where:BDL' is the beam dead load acting over span L.TDL is the total dead load bearing on the beam.

BDLadj is the total dead load spread over Ladj (slope adjusted beam).wD is the actual linear dead load acting perpendicular to the beam which is used in beamdesign calculations.

ROOF RAFTER-PITCH ADJUSTMENTS

L

ROOF LIVE LOAD

R O O F D E

A D L O A D

A D J U S T E

D E A V E

A D J U S T E

D R A F T E R

S P A N ( L a

d j )

S P A N

( L e a v e a d

j ) DESIGNRAFTER

ROOFPITCH

12 IN.RP(IN)

Leave

39


52/120

FIGURE 4-4 ROOF RAFTER PITCH ADJUSTMENT The adjustments for a roof rafter are similar to the adjustments for a roof beam with an end elevationdifference. The dead load is increased since the actual length of the rafter is longer while the verticalcomponent of the live load is spread over a longer span. See figure 4-4.

The adjusted rafter length is calculated as follows:

LadjLRA

=cos( )

)RAcos(Leave

Leaveadj =

Where:

RA (roof angle) = arctanRP12

The loads on a rafter are adjusted for roof pitch as shown:

( )wL (adjusted for pitch) = wLL

LadjRAcos

wD (adjusted for pitch) = wD cos(RA)

4.2.8 LOADING The most critical part of the design process is to properly assess all of the physical parametersinvolved in a member design. This includes such parameters as the length and size of a member aswell as the end use and loading conditions. The loading of a member requires professional judgmentand knowledge of not only the actual loading conditions but also the code requirements of the localbuilding department.

LOAD COMBINATIONSStruCalc does not check the different load combinations required by code (except for column design).It is the responsibility of the user to determine which combinations will control the design. The user should check live, dead, and wind/seismic loads.

DEAD LOADSDead loads are permanent loads due to the actual physical weight of a structure. There are severalsources that can be used to determine the dead load of a design. Care should be taken to investigatethe actual dead loads since material weights can vary considerably. StruCalc automatically includesthe beam self weight (BSW) in all calculations except for rafter and floor joist modules where thebeam self weight must be included in the user inputted uniform dead load.

LIVE LOADSLive loads are loads imposed on a structural member, which depend upon the use of the areasupported by the beam or column. The local building department usually designates the minimumlive load but the actual loading conditions should be investigated and accounted for in the design.

4.2.9 FLOOR LIVE LOAD REDUCTION Many of the building codes used in StruCalc allow reductions in the required unit live load for certainoccupancy types and large areas of loading. The reasoning for this reduction is that large areas

40


53/120

typically are not loaded to capacity over their entire area simultaneously. It is the responsibility of thedesigner to apply this reduction only when allowed by the building code in effect and when itsapplication will not result in possible overstress of the structural member being designed.

REDUCTIONS FOR 94 AND 97 UBC, 2000 AND 2003 IBCFloor live load reductions are allowed for any member supporting an area greater than 150 square

feet, except in places of public assembly and for live loads greater than 100 psf.

Floor load reduction percentage is based on the loaded floor area supported by the beam beingdesigned.

Reduction for 94 and 97 UBC:

R1= 0.08 (FLA - 150) UBC 2,8 (1607.5)

Where:FLA is the floor loaded area.

The reduction R is limited to R2 based on the dead load to live load ratio, which is determined by the

formula below:

+=

LLavgDL

11.232R UBC 2,8 (1607.5)

Where:LLavg is the average floor live load.

R is also limited to R3, which is the maximum reduction allowed by code. Note that R3 is 0.40 for beams with floor loads from one level and 0.60 for all other cases.

R is the controlling reduction factor, which is the minimum of R1, R2 and R3.

REDUCTIONS FOR 94, 97 AND 99 SBCFloor live load reductions are allowed for any member supporting an area greater than 150 squarefeet, except in places of public assembly and for live loads greater than 100 psf.

Floor load reduction percentage is based on the loaded floor area supported by the beam beingdesigned.

Reduction for 94, 97, and 99 SBC:

R1=0.08 FLA SBC 10,14,15 (1604.2)

Where:FLA is the floor loaded area.

The reduction R is limited to R2 based on the dead load to live load ratio, which is determined by theformula below:

+=

LLavgDL

11.232R SBC 10,14,15 (1604.2)

Where:LLavg is the average floor live load.

41


54/120

R is also limited to R3, which is the maximum reduction allowed by code. Note that R3 is 0.40 for allloading cases.R is the controlling reduction factor, which is the minimum of R1, R2 and R3.

REDUCTIONS FOR 93, 96 AND 99 BOCAFloor live load reductions are allowed for members with influence areas of 400 square feet or more

and live loads less than 100 psf.

Reduction for 93, 96, and 99 BOCA:

RAi

1 0 2515= +. BOCA 11,16,17 (1608.1)

Where:Ai is the influence area in square feet.

The influence area is two times the floor loaded area for beams (Ai = 2 FLA).

R2 is the maximum reduction allowed by code for live loads of 100 psf or more. R2 is 0.20.

R3 is the maximum reduction allowed by code for live loads of 100 psf or less. Note that R3 is 0.50for beams with floor loads from one level and 0.60 for all other cases.

4.2.10 CAMBER AMPLIFICATION FACTOR The amplification factor for dead load deflection in glulam beams is used to determine the requiredcamber (C) to counteract long term dead load creep (plastic deformation). In most cases, a factor of 1.5 is used.

42


55/120

5. DESIGN CALCULATIONS5.1 GENERAL DESIGN CALCULATIONS

StruCalc uses the moment distribution method to calculate the moment, shear and deflection alongthe beam length. Each span of the member is broken up into one hundred sections and the moment,shear and deflection are calculated at each section. The program uses the critical shear, momentand deflection to design the structural member.

5.2 WOOD DESIGN

5.2.1 MATERIAL PROPERTIES The program uses the following properties specified by the NDS 5,9 for solid sawn and glulammembers. Structural composite lumber and I-joists use the manufacturers published data.

Fb = Tabulated bending stress, in psi.

Fb_cpr = Tabulated bending stress for the compression face in tension of glulam, in psi.

Fv = Tabulated value of horizontal shear stress, in psi.

Fc_perp = Tabulated compression stress perpendicular to the grain, in psi

E = Tabulated modulus of elasticity, in psi.

Ex = Tabulated modulus of elasticity about the X-axis for glulams, in psi.

Ey = Tabulated modulus of elasticity about the Y-axis for glulams, in psi.

5.2.2 ADJUSTMENT FACTORS The tabulated allowable stress values are modified by several adjustment factors specified in theNDS 5,9 before they are used to calculate available section properties for the member. Theseadjustments include the duration factor, size factor, volume factor, stability factor, repetitive usefactor, incising factor, and the wet use factor.

For the duration factor adjustment commentary see section 4.2.4.

SIZE FACTOR ADJUSTMENTThe NDS 5,9 specifies a modification factor for the tabulated bending stress values for dimensionallumber and timbers exceeding 12 inches in depth per the NDS 5,9 (4.3.2). Structural compositemembers are also adjusted for size and each manufacturer specifies a denominator for the sizefactor adjustment equation.

strucalc 60 manual

Documents