Structural analysis of a buidling using Robot Structural Analysis

Challenge 8

Submitted by Kanala Rahul Reddy

1) What are HVAC systems? Why are they essential in the modeling of buildings

HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. HVAC refers to the different systems used for moving air between indoor and outdoor areas, along with heating and cooling both residential and commercial buildings. They are the systems that keep you warm and cozy in the winter and feeling cool and fresh in the summer. They also are the systems that filter and clean indoor air to keep you healthy and maintain humidity levels at optimal comfort levels. Each component in your home may be separate, such as a radiant system combined with window air conditioning units. However, it is more common for combined systems such as central heating and AC systems that use a single blower to circulate air via internal ducts in a home, or with a ductless system for different rooms or zones in the house.

• The purpose of an HVAC system is more than just warming or cooling a space. Instead, it serves to improve indoor air quality and provide comfort for everyone inside a building. While there are several different types of HVAC systems, they all begin with the same essentials.
• First, there is a source of fresh air intake from the outside or from within the home. This process is called ventilation, and it happens in two different ways. Natural ventilation is present in most homes and refers to the way air typically moves in and out through windows, doors, vents, and other openings. This exchange of air is necessary to replenish oxygen, and to remove odors, carbon dioxide, and excessive moisture.
• Mechanical ventilation uses a mechanical system ‐ the V in HVAC ‐ to move air in and out. In the past, there was plenty of natural ventilation in most homes from gaps and cracks in the construction along with opening and closing of doors. However, modern construction is creating homes that are far more tightly sealed so ventilation is becoming an increasingly important component in home HVAC systems. Once the air is brought in, it is drawn into an air handling unit where the work begins. Here, the air is drawn through filters to remove dirt, dust, allergens, and other particles.
• Next up, is comfort. Air is either sent to be heated or sent to be cooled and have excess humidity removed. Once the air is clean, fresh, and at a comfortable temperature, it is directed into the home. For central systems, this means moving through a network of ducts and registers to different rooms. For other systems, this usually means being directed right into the space

2) From the week 7 assignment, based on the building designed use the same Revit file to design an HVAC system for each floor to cover the topics included in the class.
a. Typical HVAC unit includes Distribution center
b. Collector
c. Ducts
d. Blower
Based on the layout choose appropriate ducts and elevation using property browser and assign the components to appropriate groups to complete modeling of the HVAC unit

Aim: To create an HVAC system for Project 2

Introduction:

HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. HVAC refers to the different systems used for moving air between indoor and outdoor areas, along with heating and cooling both residential and commercial buildings. They are the systems that keep you warm and cozy in the winter and feeling cool and fresh in the summer.

Procedure:

Step 1: Opening new file

Open a new file of Imperial Systems

Step 2: Linking REVIT project

Go to the insert tab and click on the Link Revit option

Select the Week 7 project from the browser

Step 3: Adding Supply and Return Diffusers

Click on Systems Tab

• Click on Air Terminal
• From components Select Supply Diffuser
• Place a Supply diffuser in every room

Click on Systems Tab

• Click on Air Terminal
• From components Select Return Diffuser
• Place a Supply diffuser in every room

Click on Systems Tab

• Click on Mechanical Equipment
• From components Select Return Diffuser
• Place a Supply diffuser in every room

Step 4: Creating Systems

Select all the Supply diffusers and Air handling unit

• Click on Duct on modify tab
• Click Ok to create a Mechanical Supply air
• Select a layout as per requirement

Select all the Return diffusers and Air handling unit

• Click on Duct on modify tab
• Click Ok to create a Mechanical Return air
• Select a layout as per requirement

Step 5: Copy and Past to aligned levels

Select all the systems

• Click copy in the modify panel
• Go to drop down of paste panel and click on Paste to Aligned Levels

Clcik on all the levels

Result:

The HVAC system for all the floors is placed accordingly

3) Use the add-ins tab to load plug-ins for robot structural analysis to your Revit software

Introduction:

Robot Structural Analysis Professional is structural load analysis software that verifies code compliance and uses BIM-integrated workflows to exchange data with Revit. It can help you to create more resilient, constructible designs that are accurate, coordinated, and connected to BIM.

Procedure:

Go to a new tab in google and type the Robot Structural Analysis Professional

Click the Autodesk website option

Click the trial version of the Robot Structural Analysis Professional 2020

Install the setup file downloaded

Click on next and click on Robot Structural Analysis

Now open Revit Project File

Use the analyze menu to use the Robot Structural Analysis Professional to export the project to the Robot Structural Analysis Professional.

4) Why do we need to assess buildings/analyze while modeling elements? Does design affect modeling in anyways?

Analyzing a building is nothing but calculating forces and bending moments that occur when loads are applied. Revit enables us to calculate the forces, reactions, bending moments, etc, by using the robot structural analysis option making the work of a designer easy. Energy analysis is also an important aspect as it calculates the overall performance of buildings. Analyzing a building is very important because it gives a complete understanding of the building and how it acts when some natural calamities like tornados, earthquakes occur. Analysis or assessment of building makes us understand how much strength a building gives and how much is the actual requirement, this helps us to make required changes to attain the expected functionality.

Structural analysis is the determination of the effects of loads on physical structures and their components. Structures subject to this type of analysis include all that must withstand loads, such as buildings, bridges, aircraft, and ships. The structural analysis employs the fields of applied mechanics, materials science, and applied mathematics to compute a structure's deformations, internal forces, stresses, support reactions, accelerations, and stability. The results of the analysis are used to verify a structure's fitness for use, often precluding physical tests. Structural analysis is thus a key part of the engineering design of structures.

Assessment of the building enables us to design the building and structural elements accordingly like placing the columns. arrangement of trusses, beams, etc. Designing a building is most efficient when the assessment of the building is done. Modeling is surely affected by design. As designing involves creating a plan of a model when design changes obviously modeling varies. As designing depends on structural analysis of the model, both designing and modeling are affected by the assessment of the building.

5) From the structural model developed in weeks 6 and 7, export the complete analytical model to robot structural analysis.
a. List your assumptions on what boundary conditions will be realistic for the analysis approach
b. Use the design standards to decide what loads must be applied to floorings based on the type of structure decided
c. List the load combinations and include them in the analysis model
d. Analyze the building and report the following results
i. Maximum Moment in each floor for all Load Combinations
ii. Maximum Displacement in each floor for all Load combinations
iii. Lateral Displacement in building for all Lateral Load combinations
e. After analysis, do you think you have a better approach or idea in modeling structural members?

Aim: To export the complete analytical model to robot structural analysis and compute structural Analysis

Introduction:

Autodesk’s structural design software, Robot Structural Analysis Professional is a finite element analysis software suited for engineers who require a structural analysis solution that allows them to model, analyze and design a range of materials such as steel structures and concrete structures to Eurocodes, American codes and British standards amongst others. This comprehensive structural engineering design software solution allows enhanced BIM operability both within the AEC collection and other software enabling engineers to iterate and optimize their designs with full communication between packages ultimately streamlining the design process and allowing traceability of design changes along the way.

Procedure:

Step 1: Opening File

Open the structural model of Week 7 Project 2

Open Analytical 3D model from the Project browser

Step 2: Adding Load Combinations

Go to the Manage tab and Click on structural settings

In structural setting go to load combinations

Add the type of loads and their factors to create load combinations

Load combinations are added as per IS 456 for the Limit state of Serviceability

Step 3: Create Boundary Conditions

Go to the Analyse tab

Click on Boundary Conditions and select the support type as 'Fixed'

Select the Foundation Analytical points to create the fixed supports

Step 4: Adding Loads

Add Area load of -0.0418 ksf as Live load to every floor

Add loads using Aligned to selected Levels

Analyze in the cloud: Could not be found in my pc/software

Step 5: Robot Structural Analysis

Go to Analyse tab and Click on the Robot Structural Analysis toolkit

Clcik on Robot Structural Analysis Link

Click ok to send the model to Robot Structural Analysis software

Go to the Load tab in RSA software and click on Automatic Combinations

Click Ok to set Load Combinations

Go on the Analysis tab and click on Analysis Types

Click on Calculation to compute structural calculations

After Calculations are computed

Result:

Go to Results and click on 'Diagrams and Bars'

• Go to Reactions and click on Mx, My, Mz
• Check tick the Description box
• Click Apply to display said reactions

Moment Reaction result for Dead Load and Live Load

Load Reaction result for Dead Load and Live Load

6) What is energy analysis and why do we need to consider it while modeling in Revit?

How does the factor of sustainability improve the quality of your design?

Energy analysis is the traditional method of assessing the way energy is used in an operation involving the physical or chemical processing of materials and the transfer and/or conversion of energy.

Energy usage analysis of buildings involves four principal steps.

• First is the calculation of heat loss and gain to the building spaces and the heating and cooling loads imposed upon the building HVAC systems. This calculation is carried out for a space temperature fixed in time and is commonly called the Loads calculation. It answers the question: how much heat addition or extraction is required to maintain the space at a constant temperature as the outside weather conditions and internal activity vary in time and the building mass absorbs and releases heat.
• Second is the calculation of the energy addition and extraction actually to be supplied by the HVAC system in order to meet the possibly varying temperature set-points and humidity criteria subject to the schedules of fans, boilers, and chillers, and to outside air requirements. This calculation results in the demand for energy that is made on the primary energy sources of the building. This step, called the Systems calculation, answers the question: How are the accumulative heat extraction and addition rates modified when the characteristics of the HVAC system, the time-varying temperature set-points, and the heating, cooling and fan schedules are taken into account?
• The third is the determination of the fuel requirements of primary equipment such as boilers and chillers, and of the energy production of solar collectors, etc., in the attempt to supply the energy demand of the HVAC systems. This Plant calculation answers the question: how much fuel and electrical input is required to feed the secondary HVAC system given the efficiency and operating characteristics of, the plant equipment and components.
• The fourth step evaluates the costs of equipment, fuel, electricity, labor, and retrofit components against the alternative of investing the money in other ways. It answers the question: Is the expenditure of funds for energy conserving materials and systems cost-effective when compared with alternative systems and investment possibilities? This step is called Economics calculation.

EA in Revit:

Energy simulation can help you analyze the movement of energy in, out, and through the rooms and volumes in a building model. This information can help designers make better informed, cost-effective decisions that improve the performance and reduce the environmental impact of buildings. The whole building energy simulation measures expected energy use (fuel and electricity) based on the building's geometry, climate, building type, envelope properties, and active systems (HVAC & Lighting). It takes into account the interdependencies of the building as a whole system. Perform energy analysis on the building design through all stages, from the earliest conceptual phase through detailed design, to ensure that you are constantly working towards the most energy-efficient building possible.

Use Energy Analysis for Autodesk® Revit® to perform energy simulation for conceptual forms and detailed architectural models created in Revit. Use the simulation results to understand building energy use. Then iterate the designs to improve their sustainability ratings. The energy model created from the Revit building model can be displayed in Revit, so you can view and validate the energy model used for analysis. The energy model can also be exported to third-party applications for further analysis in a variety of common formats: gbXML, DOE2, and EnergyPlus.

Sustainable design

Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, and the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance. The basic objectives of sustainability are to reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources, minimize waste, and create healthy, productive environments.

Sustainable design principles include the ability to:

• optimize site potential;
• minimize non-renewable energy consumption;
• use environmentally preferable products;
• protect and conserve water;
• enhance indoor environmental quality; and
• optimize operational and maintenance practices.

Utilizing a sustainable design philosophy encourages decisions at each phase of the design process that will reduce negative impacts on the environment and the health of the occupants, without compromising the bottom line. It is an integrated, holistic approach that encourages compromise and tradeoffs. Such an integrated approach positively impacts all phases of a building's life-cycle, including design, construction, operation, and decommissioning.